Do you consider yourself a patient person? Would those
around you agree?
What type of situation tests your patience the most?
Think of the last time you spoke or acted out of
impatience, frustration or anger. What was the
outcome?
Looking back, what would you do differently?
I suspect almost everyone struggles with patience at one
point or another. But is that really a surprise? Most of us
are so busy with increased to-do list and the constant
conditioning of society to have things done faster and to have
them done NOW. Our high- speed careers and the increasing
demands we face are transferring into a lack of time in our
individual lives. Time, an essential component of patience, is
now becoming more precious of a commodity than oil. And the
worst part is, just when we think we're getting things in
order, along comes another "Time Bandit" to rob us of yet
another few minutes. It's no wonder we are always in such a
hurry.
So if time is a critical component of being patient, how
can you have more patience when you have less time?
First, I think it's important to understand just what the
essence of patience really is.
Patience is the ability to:
· Sit back and wait for an expected outcome without
experiencing anxiety, tension, or frustration.
· Let go of
the need for immediate gratification.
· Display tolerance,
compassion, understanding, and acceptance toward others and
situations.
· Accept the fact that you are not in control
and that sometimes no matter how hard you push to make
something happen "Now," it just may not be the right
time.
· Be calm and considerate to others.
· Persevere
when trouble arises and understand that it may take some time
to resolve.
Patience involves taking time-time to listen, time to allow
for circumstances to change, and time to wait for God to move.
All too often we're running ahead of ourselves, trying to make
things happen the way we want them to... instead of just being
patient and trusting that all things will work out for the
best. We're running so fast to go from point A to point B that
we sometimes forget to stop along the way and fully appreciate
the road in between. Instead of nurturing a project or a
relationship, we push and push to create the immediate result
we seek. We're being conditioned that it's no longer
acceptable for something to take time, it must happen now.
Convenience and speed are destroying our ability to wait,
causing us frustration and stress, and slowly eating away at
our abilities to connect with ourselves and each other.
So this week, let's all try to put a little patience back
in our lives. Slow down, take some time to appreciate the
things in your life and know that all great things come to
those who are patient.
To help, here are a few recommendations on how to live a
Patient life.
· Take life one day at a time. Consider each day a gift of
life and fully appreciate and respect its value.
· Accept
that you are going to need time, effort, and energy to change
and grow. You will experience some resistance along the way
but by developing habitual ways of acting, reacting, and
believing, you will find your way.
· Look to the future and
not to the past. Do not dwell on your past mistakes and
failings. Do not worry about what you will become or how you
will act in the future. Begin to live each new day as a fresh
start.
· Put yourself in someone else's shoes. Humility and
respect towards another are significant in developing a
patient outlook on life.
· Love yourself. If you do not
love and respect yourself, you will never be able to have the
confidence needed for trust and patience.
· Wake up to the
realities of life around you. Everyone with whom you come in
contact is busy working through their own struggles,
weaknesses, setbacks, relapses, crises, and obstacles. All of
us are on the path. There is no one exempt from this journey.
It takes a lifetime to complete.
· Hand over and let go of
the worries, concerns, anxieties, and doubts about attaining
your goal.
· Confront your fears about attaining your goal.
Remember, the world was not created in a day. Beautiful
symphonies, works of art, and literary masterpieces were not
created in a day. A lifetime is not lived in a day.
