Patience is Not Just a Virtue But a Precious Commodity

SHOW NOTES:

On this show...we are buying high and selling low. Evaluating our resources to uncover the deficits.  We are trading in precious commodities, PATIENCE. So slow down and give us your full attention. What is more important than your own personal development? You grow and then the world around you benefits. Want to make a significant change - be a change agent and take your own growth seriously. Ok, ok, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the whole show is about developing, recognizing, and celebrating patience so let’s do it justice by conjuring up a little of our own. 

We started the show off by trying to understand where the saying, “Patience is a Virtue” comes from. 

I just love word or phrase origins and then tracking how the meanings have changed over time. This phrase has ballooned to encompass anything you can’t have right now. It’s sometimes used when there really is no explanation as to why you haven’t received or achieved something you desire. “There, there, all in good time, patience is a virtue.”

Candace Vogler helps us better understand virtues in a blog article she wrote for thevirtueblog.co

Virtue, then, is not an attitude, although attitudes often go along with virtue.  It is not a belief system or a kind of desire or a kind of feeling/emotion, although virtue shapes thoughts and feelings.  It is closer to a stable, cultivated way of noticing what’s going on and responding to what’s going on (inwardly and through one’s actions) aimed at supporting, enabling, or doing actual good. 

Not sure infants are born with any level of patience - clearly not when they start out with only two speeds; full-on high alert or sleeping. Patience is developed over time as a result of so many things. Your willingness to take it slower than you have in the past or as a result of too many failed attempts at pushing your way through. 

I’m quick to pull the trigger on an idea. I love brainstorming and getting creative with my thoughts but then shortly after, it’s GO-TIME! I don’t stew over plans, rationalizing different outcomes, I test it out more practically or impractically - hands-on!

Melissa Eisler, Professional Leadership Coach gives us her ideas on developing patience in her article - 7 Strategies to Build Your Patience Muscle

Whatever or whomever your trigger, patience is most difficult to muster up when you encounter a roadblock or waiting time between you and that something you want or need. Whether it’s as simple as:

• The long line at the grocery store when you just want to get home with your groceries
• The hold time when you want to speak to a customer service representative
• The five minutes you must wait when your spouse is running late for dinner
• Waiting for your computer to reboot
• Traffic!

Patience vs. Mindfulness

To understand the role mindfulness plays in being patient, let’s make sure we are all working off of the same definition of patience, which, according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary means, “bearing pains or trials calmly and without complaint” and “steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity.”

Only snippets from her work…

• Pause and Breathe
• Stop Resisting
• Acknowledge the Effects of Impatience
• Get curious about the particular moment you are in.
• Use the Extra Time Wisely
• Try a Mini Meditation
• Befriend the Situation

Part of developing patience is understanding the timing is everything. You could think of timing as in God’s time, this measurement that only He knows so settle down and wait. Or whether something is happening at the right time in your life.

Jelena Jegdić gives us another perspective in her article: What Is Divine Timing And How Does It Work? [Simple Guide] located at reviw42.com

Divine timing is the belief that everything occurs exactly when it is supposed to. By accepting this thought, we have to accept that everything that happens in our lives, from the most ordinary, mundane events to the biggest, most drastic changes that occur—everything is controlled by something that is more powerful than all actions we can undertake to gain control of our lives.

Despite the seemingly random nature of divine workings, there are certain rules that have to be followed if you have decided to accept this outer force in your life. If you’ve found yourself in a situation when you have waited or strived toward something, only to get it when you finally gave up on it—that is the universe giving you what you need when you are ready for it, and not one moment sooner. Guide yourself by these rules and trust the universe to do the rest for you.

• Learn to be patient
• Trust in perfect timing
• Don’t try to force things
• Don’t attach yourself to an outcome

Haven’t we all looked back on something that we wanted SO BAD at the time but just didn’t work out and now, with some hindsight, we see that we are better for it. Whew - I know timing helped me out more than once. 

• When you think about timing you can also consider where you are on your journey and if what you’re shooting for makes sense. The sky really isn’t the only limit. Where are you in your career, does it make sense to uproot, start a new project, go into debt?
• Where are you in your family, do you have small children; now might not be the best time to start a business, or change careers, or travel the world.
• Where are you in your development; it might not be the right time to have children, take on a big project, leave your support system.

WE all want to be further along with more to show for our lives. It’s so difficult to be patient and live in the now. How can you slow down and be present when there is so much left to be done? 

The flip side of that thinking is how many meaningful moments are you missing by living too far in the future?

Andrew Faure looks at the idea of being present from many angles in his article How to Live in the Present Moment and Create Your Dream Life - found at creatormind.org

The Future Is Now

For most people, many of their wants and desires include being happy, having peace of mind, feeling loved or being successful. And they don't want these things in some distant future, they want them now! 

If I gave you the option of being prosperous starting next year or being prosperous starting today, which would you choose?

Too many hot buttons to hit in a summary….listen to the show!!

 

CHALLENGE: to realize that your best is achievable and with patience and timing, your goals, realized. Take time to ponder the present as you make plans for the future. It’s all a delicate balance of awareness, acceptance, and fortitude. 

 

I Know YOU Can Do It!