Sonny Bill Williams concedes he's far from a patient man.
That's no secret any more - All Blacks coach Steve Hansen revealed as much to the world, as his team prepared for their Rugby Championship clash with Argentina on Sunday (NZ time).
Although the national team boss admitted his charge had improved over recent years.
"Once upon a time, he would have sulked a lot about being injured and not getting games," said Hansen. "But he's matured into a really good human being.
"He understands there is no point being down about it, so he is pretty positive. He is a positive person around the environment whilst he is injured, he just gets on with his trainings."
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Williams has had plenty of opportunity to practice his patience this year, most of which has been spent on the side-lines, nursing injury or illness. After off-season knee surgery, he injured a shoulder in his test return against France in June and then missed a scheduled start against South Africa two weeks ago with tonsillitis.
Touch wood, he will finally take the field against the Pumas this week.
But Williams revealed exclusively to Newshub's Ross Karl that the transformation from sulker to saint hasn't been easy.
"It is something I've had to work on," he said. "I'm proud of where I am now, patience-wise, and sports has helped me, but also being a father of three young kids has done the trick.
"Love to me is shown at the most inconvenient times - at 3am, when the kids are crying and my wife can't help me, because she's with the baby.
"You have to take those deep breaths and try to centre yourself. To be honest, that has helped me in my professional life as well."
Williams told Karl he had relied on his physical attributes - the qualities that had also seen him excel in rugby league and boxing - and only recently tapped into his other strengths.
"Now, being an older athlete, you have to understand to work with what you have and what I have is a strong mind, when I focus on that.
"All that mindfulness and centring yourself… a little bit of meditation always helps.
As a devout Muslim, Williams insists his faith has also played a big part in the transition, but sometimes at a cost to his teammates.
"We have to pray five times a day and I love that, because it's not about yourself - it's about a greater cause. It all helps.
"I feel sorry for my roomies - this week, it's been Beauden [Barrett] - I've been trying to get up early and be quiet, when I get up to pray. Hopefully, I haven't woken him up too many times."
Williams' newfound selflessness has been demonstrated through the leadership role he now plays in the mid-field, where the All Blacks lost kingpins Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith after the last Rugby World Cup.
He and Ryan Crotty have taken over as senior pros, helping develop relative newcomers Jack Goodhue, Anton Leinert-Brown and Ngani Laumape along the way.
"I feel like me and Crotty, being the older guys in that midfield group, we've taken it upon ourselves to say, 'bro, this is what we want to leave as a legacy when we move on'.
"OK, we're competing, we all want to play, so why not say that? Why not remove all the bullshit and say, 'we want to start'.
"'If I don't start, I'm still going to feel down, but I'm going to prepare you as well as I can. When you play, that's a reflection of how I've helped prepare you'.
"We have those honest discussions, and we've seen the benefit guys like LB, Jack and Ngani can just slot in and perform. It's a pretty cool environment to be in."
Williams and Crotty have become somewhat unlikely allies in driving that midfield culture.
"We're both emotional guys and in touch with that stuff, and we understand if your emotional state is in the right place, you're going to perform better," he told Karl.
"We always sit on the bus next to each other and those conversations have happened. Organically, you see the results of it - being more vulnerable, more emotional, but also understanding, when we put on that black jersey, let's get that fire out there.
"I feel like our midfield is a tight brotherhood."
Newshub.
