A watched pot never boils - Proverb for January 6

This familiar proverb "A watched pot never boils" shows up for January 6 on my daily calendar, "The World's Greatest Proverbs".  This is again a very familiar proverb but what exactly does it mean and how does it help me in my life?  The meaning is pretty straight forward which is that we should be patience.  The imagery here is that if we wait for a pot to boil it will take longer and we become impatient as we wait for it. However if we do not wait on the pot and allow the pot to come to a boil in its own time we will not be disappointed.

In practice this proverb reminds me to be patient and to let things go at their own pace.  Perhaps this is a helpful reminder for me as a parent of small children to be more patient as they need the constant reminders and guidance.