The Power Of Patience

Paul Davis says that patience is a foreign concept to many of us these days, when everything seems to happen at the speed of light. Many people seem to be going through life like their hair is on fire. Some have called this the "microwave generation”.  Such are acknowledgments that patience is a rare character trait now.

Have you ever lost your patience? Of course you have. We all have. Circumstances and people can sometimes push all of us over the edge and try our patience.

Here are some tips to help you patiently possess your soul:

1.       Rule your tongue. The tongue is to your body what a small rudder is to a big ship. By ruling and harnessing your tongue, you can control yourself entirely. The tongue is connected directly to the heart. So by putting a restraint on your mouth you simultaneously stop any impure thoughts from excessively filtering through your heart and mind. Negative thoughts don't serve us well anyhow and need not to be dwelt on.

2.      Pray to your Creator to help you master your moods and govern your emotions. Praying is a wonderful exercise that takes your negative energy, harnesses it and utilizes it for good to employ the resources of the unseen world.

3.      Find something humorous about the situation and leverage it for laughter. Humor lightens the heart, fills the soul with joy and lessens the load of our day. Laughter is an elegant and fun way to diffuse tension. Everybody likes to laugh. You will be far more popular among people if you can skilfully turn tense situations into laughable moments. Learn to leverage tense times for good times. You can do so be reframing the issue and seeing it from a comic's perspective.

4.      Give thanks for the opportunity to learn something from the situation. Possess an attitude of gratitude. Let your thanksgiving exceed your complaining. Find something to be thankful for and focus on that rather than the minuscule problem. The more you can dwell upon that which you are thankful for, the easier it is to rise above your current dilemma and conquer it.

5.      Love people unconditionally. Many tense situations involve people. It is quite easy to lose it and lash out at people. We all make mistakes. Some more than others. Nevertheless see people through the eyes of the Creator. Nobody is beyond redemption. Each of us has something to offer humanity. Practice preferring others over yourself. Be polite. As you embrace good manners, your impatience will diminish as you seek to maintain your own dignity and integrity. Overcome evil with good.

6.      Look for the big picture and meaningful message within the mess. Be a lifelong learner. Take something positive from the experience regardless of how painful it may be. Leverage the life lesson from the situation. The Chinese see problems as opportunities. Their character for problem and opportunity are both the same. Many of the world's greatest discoveries, breakthroughs and entrepreneurial fortunes came about from an initial problem. By looking at the problem differently than everybody else, solutions were found and opportunities did abound.

7.      Remember peace is priceless. World history has proven to us that once peoples and nations angrily explode and go to war with one another everybody suffers. Consider the countless lives that have been lost and the massive destruction of nations that has occurred as a result of war. Peace therefore is a priceless commodity that should be cherished every day. Let peace then reign in your own heart and mind first. By giving way to peace in your own heart and mind, agitations will be lessened, brought into proper perspective and the atmosphere around you will be far more pleasant and peaceful.

8.      Believe for breakthroughs and assistance beyond yourself. If you desire to get somewhere in life, your relationships and your profession, know assuredly that the universe will conspire to give you what you want when you believe. Childlike faith is a force that attracts to you what you inwardly desire. Believe that your deepest desires are intertwined with those of others and will surely come to pass when you simply trust. After you have done all you know to do, trust in serendipity to intervene and orchestrate the rest for you.

9.      Take your time. Don't be in a hurry.  As the white rabbit said in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get."  That certainly has been my personal experience. The faster I frantically work on something the more apt I am to make mistakes and thereafter have to go back and fix my errors. It is far better for us to settle into a good pace and regulate ourselves within, lest our emotions get the best of us.

10.   Ask for help. Practice humility and politely ask for help when you need it. Of course when you do so perhaps those to whom you are turning for help may not be immediately available. Some may have no desire to help you. Nevertheless give people the opportunity to help you. Then when they are in need you make sure to return the favor.

11.    Sing a song and rejoice within. Find something happy to think about. Go on a brief mental diversion. Take a few minutes vacation for your soul to settle down and rest. Sing a happy song. Play a tune that makes you feel good. Change your mood and mental state by making a melody in your own heart. Singing will lift you up and cause you to rise above your circumstances.

12.   Purpose to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Detach as best you can inwardly from the problem and objectively see it for what it is. Read about this subject and see how others have overcome it. Develop yourself to be your best so you can be a problem-solver not a problem creator. Remember that complaining only magnifies and enlarges the problem. Quiet inner reflection and pondering on a solution brings it into proper perspective as you journey toward the solution.

Give yourself the gift of patience. Don't allow your inner world to be disrupted by what goes on outside of you. Remain in control and master your emotions. You are greater on the inside than anything you face on the outside.