The Power of Patience

How to Slow the Rush and Enjoy More Happiness, Success and Peace of Mind Every Day
By M.J. Ryan,
Published by Broadway Books, 2003
ISBN: 0-7679-1486-4
224 pages

A popular and habitually used cliché goes, "patience is a virtue". It may be overused but still very true. In this fast paced world, patience is one of the most overlooked values. However, revaluing this old-fashioned virtue can lead you to bigger achievements and more success stories to tell This is what this book is all about: to understand the importance, benefits and urgent necessity of patience and to be able to learn the ways and means of developing this essential quality.

Patience's Gifts

Patience could be one old-fashioned quality that most people take for granted but it could be the one, if not the only, means to lead a more satisfying and fulfilled life. This virtue, which is spiritual and inspirational in nature, can make you more appreciative and grateful to life. This promises a life where there's less whining and more laughter.

Some of the overlooked gifts of patience are as follows:

Patience creates excellence.
Patience brings us into harmony with the cycles of nature.
Patience helps us make better decisions.
Patience connects us to hope.
Patience helps us live longer and more stress-free.
Patience helps us waste less time, energy and money.
Patience gets us more of what we want.
Patience guards the door to anger.
Patience gives us greater tolerance and empathy.
Patience helps us have happier love relationships.
Patience makes us better parents.
Patience teaches the power of receptivity.
Patience Is the heart of civility.
Patience grows our souls.

The Attitudes of Patience

Patience enables you to cultivate certain attitudes. These attitudes are actually the ones that help you get by when situations push you to your limits.

I'm still learning.
Patience is a decision.
This too shall pass.
The screws are just as important as the wings.
Waiting Is part of being alive.
It's better to work at it than to buy your way out of it.
Where are you hurrying to?; It takes as long as it takes.
Boredom is all in our heads.
Tuning out is as important as tuning in.
What does this matter in the larger scheme of things?
People are only human.
Some things are worth waiting for.
There's more than one right way.
Welcome, teachers of patience.
There's a time to wait and a time to pedal like mad.

The Practices of Patience

Self-awareness is the ultimate key towards cultivating patience. For awareness to be fully nurtured, you have to expose yourself to certain practices. At first, invoking patience should be a choice you have to make. But through constantly choosing to engage patience when nature calls, the act would simply convert into habit without you necessarily becoming aware of it.

Here are some practices of patience:

Measure your patience level
Tune in to yourself in the morning
Take a breather; Keep your blood sugar level up
Road sage, not road rage
Issue a storm warning to children
Tap into your inner wisdom
Reframe the situation; find something else to do
Practice with aging parents and other elders; Respond from your heart
Underwhelm yourself
Ask yourself: Is this thing still flying?

Twenty Simple Patience Boosters

Put emphasis on how far you've gone doing a certain task rather than focusing on what is still left to do.
Do some brisk walking or jogging when you feel impatient or irritable.
Count to ten before choosing to blow off steam.
There are always simple solutions for things that frequently irritate you.
Seek ways on how to disrupt your anger cycle.
While waiting in line, try taking mental vacations.
When your relationships are confronted with trials, take a moment to reflect on how you want to be remembered by friends and relatives when you leave this world.
Encourage a pay-it-forward movement by thanking others for being patient with you when you were the one holding them up.
Appreciate and celebrate small achievements you make on whatever project you take.
Build some patience muscles by practicing walking meditation while waiting in lines.
Getting impatient at work? Try doing the "rag doll" exercise by assuming a rag doll position and doing breathing exercises. This will help ease out the tension in your body.
Practice the red-light meditation by noticing three breaths when heading towards a red light or hearing the phone ring.
Try to be more mindful while doing your chores.
Cut down, if you can't stay away, on caffeine.
When listening to someone that irritates you, just put yourself in his shoes.
During an argument, try asking yourself what you would rather prefer - the right way, your way or the effective way?
For an immediate booster shot, post inspirational quotes on locations that you always get a good view of.
When a chore or a job overwhelms you, ask for assistance.
Learning to accept your flaws and learning to laugh at your foolishness occasionally can ease you out of tension and anxiety.
Try connecting to www.unwind.com and www.theonion.com for some relaxation exercises and relaxing stories while in the office or while at work.

Key thoughts:

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
-John Wooden, college basketball coach

"Although they only give gold medals in the field of athletics, I encourage everyone to look into themselves and find their own personal dream, whatever that may be - sports, medicine, law, business, music, writing, whatever. The same principles apply. Turn your dream into a goal and learn how to attack that goal systematically. Break it into bite-size chunks that seem possible, and then don't give up. Just keep plugging away."
- John Naber, swimmer, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist

By: Marjorie Austria
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