One morning this past week, I was waiting for the train on a packed subway platform. As an already crowded train pulled into the station, I watched about three-dozen more people fighting to squeeze into the subway car in front of me, like it was the last lifeboat paddling away from the Titanic.

Now, I’ve got to be honest. As a New Yorker, born and raised, I am usually one of those people who fight tooth and nail to get on the very next train that comes. Come to think of it, I haven’t not gotten on the first possible train I could get on- no matter how packed- in probably years. But on this particular morning, I just wasn’t having it.

So, I turned to the conductor and asked, “Is there another train behind this one?” With a smile, the conductor responded:“There’s always another train behind this one.” I chuckled. What I really meant was, “Am I going to have to wait for an eternity for the next one?” But, the conductor’s answer was really all I needed to know: of course another one would come, sooner or later. So, for the first time in a really long time, I waited for the next train.

And sure enough, the next one pulled into the station- almost empty- about two minutes later. Getting on the second train made for a much more pleasant and relaxing journey, to say the least. I started my day on a completely different note than I would have had I gotten on that first train.

If I took that first train, I would have gotten to work two inconsequential minutes earlier. But, I probably also would have arrived a lot more grumpy, sweaty and frustrated. While I am using the simplistic metaphor of waiting for a train, it’s meant to illustrate a much bigger point: the power of patience. There is something to be said for not settling- for knowing not only what you want, but also what you deserve and need.

In New York- and I’m pretty sure many other parts of the world- we want what we want, when we want it. But often, the price we pay for the luxury of instant gratification is a lack of quality.

Waiting for something better requires that we assess the often-irrational choices we make in exchange for getting what we think we want, and when we think we want it. It takes a degree of foresight- the ability to accurately play out the realistic consequences of various choices we can make, and then decide from there what’s best for us to do. It entails that we be confident enough to hold ourselves high and expect greatness- just not so much so that we develop superfluous expectations or an undeserved sense of entitlement.

Perhaps above anything else, waiting for the right moment, person, scenario or thing requires an unwavering patience- with ourselves, with our circumstances and with those around us. Patience, combined with relentless drive and clear passion, most certainly results in progress.

So have a fundamental, deeply rooted understanding of who you are, what you want, and what you deserve. Then, work for it- or in some cases, just wait for it- and don’t stop until you get it.

You may need to pass on a few mediocre opportunities first. Nevertheless, continue to wait for what you truly want and deserve…because most of the time, another opportunity- a better one- is always right behind the one in front of you.