3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Patience
I struggle with being patient.
Whether it’s learning to play pickleball, recovering from shoulder surgery, or building my business, I can get frustrated when things take longer than expected.
It’s difficult to be patient when we are stuck in traffic, trying to lose weight, or our children aren’t ready when it’s time to go.
Have you ever noticed that when you’re in a hurry for a desired outcome, your negative thoughts are amplified? Frustration, worry, and fear kick into overdrive.
It certainly doesn’t help that today’s culture is built on instant gratification: contacting people immediately through text, receiving anything we want at our doorstep within a day or two, or accessing information at lightning speed over the internet.
The more we grow accustomed to instant gratification, the more challenging patience becomes. This breeds a hurry-up culture: rushing to the next appointment, impatience with ourselves, and getting testy with our loved ones.
What would be different if you just slowed down a bit?
Cultivating patience gives us more control over our moods. We can release frustration, anger, and sadness when we relax and bring calmness and understanding into our life.
We can train our minds to be more patient by staying focused on what’s important instead of worrying about what we don’t have.
When we spend much of our time thinking about what’s next, we miss what’s happening now. Bring your attention to the present moment and engage with the world around you. Watch your mood lift.
Trust that everything will work out as it’s meant to be. Release trying to control a situation and know that whatever comes your way, you can handle it.
Patience is a muscle. To build it, we need to exercise it.
What’s one way you will be patient today?
“Two things define you: Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.”
—George Bernard Shaw
* Blog inspired by Lesley Picchietti’s Holy Shift webinar
