The state of our current society has made it nearly impossible to be patient. We are buffeted by ads that plant the seeds of lack and envy of others in us (I wish I had that expensive thing) so that we are constantly seeking a cheaper alternative that might approximate that item we desire. Can one be calm and resentful at the same time?
It’s pretty much the same in the workplace—How is forbearance possible when someone else might get to the boss with their new idea first?
And our relationships suffer—if they loved us better, they would be quicker to know what we want and need and provide it to us!
Being Impatient Seems Normal
So it seems perfectly normal and ‘natural’ to be impatient. And yet…there is that nagging little imp in your thoughts that says, “You should know better! What kind of inconsiderate person are you? All you care about is yourself.” Uh huh. Guilt raises its ugly head and the suffering begins.
Patience is something that we think about a lot but is not so easy to accomplish. We reason that having patience is difficult and thus we can throw our hands up in the air and declare ourselves the victim of cruel fate! No wonder our quality of life is so diminished.
The Need to Be First
When it’s Black Friday and the doors open at 5am in your favorite store, where you’ve been waiting to get that amazing bargain, patience is the LAST thing on your mind, right? Everything in the world seems orchestrated to invoke a need to rush off and be the first. We want the fastest route to work, the quickest service at the restaurant, and if the call we’re making rings more that twice, we hang up, annoyed. (Why aren’t they there, waiting for our call??)
Why It’s So Hard to Be Patient
We believe that patience is just a small step up from suffering. To say “I’m being patient” means I’m holding myself back from doing what I want to do right now! And who wants to suffer? Therefore, we are justified in our eagerness to push ahead.
As you know by now, I like to take a word and expand it, enlarge upon it and see how else we can think about it. At first, having patience appears to be related to people and circumstances in our daily life. I maintain that you are not going to be patient with the people around you if you are not patient with yourself. What does this mean?
Patience is a Decision to Like and Trust Yourself
Everything you perceive really starts within your own thoughts. If you don’t have patience for yourself, you are saying you don’t deserve to have what you need or want. And then the universe sends you exactly what you believe you deserve—problems that are in immediate need of fixing! So, in this sense, patience means forgiving yourself. Sometimes you make mistakes, sometimes you forget things, some you get upset at people. All those kinds of things tend to happen. Life is not easy, so you must be easy on yourself to reverse your ego-automatic reactions that lead to impatience and suffering.
Be Patient!
The solution to your impatience lies in being able to forgive yourself, be patient and say alright, slow down, hold on, let me reevaluate the situation and let me see how I can see this differently. It is stopping, taking some deep breaths and asking yourself, “How can I give myself a chance to reconnect with my inner Source, my internal Guide, who will direct me to do the right and loving thing for myself as well as for everyone in my life?” Patience is easy for those who know the outcome is certain. And the peaceful outcome IS certain when you love yourself!
Peace and Love Always,
MarciaGrace
If you are interested in finding out more about MarciaGrace’s ‘Sitting” training program, email her at welcome@marciagrace.com
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