Patience can be developed with practice.
As a recovering addict, patience has not been one of my strong points. Sure I had patience (most of the time) with my daughter as a single mom BUT not when it came to other things it was non-existant.
What about you? Is there a goal or desire are you rushing toward? What is the one thing in your life you just can’t wait to see happen? I’m usually an “instant gratification” person but I’m working on changing which takes time (and patience). Are you getting the vicious circle? LOL. It is usually the thing we want the most which take the longest like the struggle to reach your goal weight.
And while we’re waiting for things to happen, we are usually tempted to make things happen — we want the magic wand for things to happen NOW! In most cases, the solution we find to the problem or desire is not a perfect fit and as a result we muck things up. We get a SMACK to remind us it is time to practice patience!
The truth is a lack of patience is often a sign of fear and those inner gremlins called fear are waiting to squash your goals and desires. We want what we want now! I know I am not alone, right? We get anxious and worried then begin pushing for things to happen before their time (remember it is His time, not ours). We need to learn to slow down. We need to trust. We need to breathe. Patience is an act of faith, even when we don’t know when or how things will work out.
Here are four key areas of your life where you may need to practice more patience…
Relationships
Are you short-tempered with people? Does waiting in line at the store irritate you? Do you get impatient with someone who is trying to do something especially when they don’t live up to your expectations? Are you scared your dream relationship will never happen? If you are single, have you pushed a relationship to be “serious” when it may not have been meant to be. Why? Because you fear someone special won’t come along, or maybe you think you’re getting too old to get married, or your choices are limited so you are tempted to marry the wrong person. Love happens when you least expect. I was one of those who always rushed a relationship. It was when I made the decision to let things happen it did. In fact, I told hubby I didn’t want a relationship. Here we are almost 16 years later and still together. Don’t rush into things. Be patient. Trust. I am a definite believer of when you relax about things, the door to love (and other things) will open. Are you willing to wait?
Work
Patience was a lot tougher when I worked in an office. I found my lack of patience sabotaged my relationships with coworkers and clients who came into the office. Now with my own business, on days I have no patience, my relationships with my customers are in jeopardy. I was a job-hopper for many years because I thought it was the way to advance in my career. Then in recovery, I learned some patience and VIOLA things changed. I worked for 9 years at the Aids Alliance before moving into a consultant position. Then I was with Bethel for about 7 years – both of these long term positions allowed me to put my skills to use. Is your job hopping depriving you of the chance to let you sparkle?
Finances
The lack of patience and the need for instant gratification leads to consumer debt. For those, with no patience, we also tend to have a sense of entitlement because we think we deserve things even if we can’t afford them. The result is we rack up credit card debt instead of saving for things we really want. Yup, I have been guilty of this which is another part of my addictive personality. We often play the comparison game too. We want to be like everyone else but never realize we are probably comparing their end to our beginning or middle. When you have a little patience in fulfilling material desires, you might be able rein in your spending.
Health
If there is one thing which takes patience and perseverance, it’s eating healthy and exercising. It took me 7 years to reach my goal weight and it takes LOTS of perseverance to maintain it. I lost and gained the same weight many times because I wanted the quick fix. It wasn’t until I joined Weight Watchers where I learned patience. The results were slow and steady and before long the changes were noticeable! Are you looking for shortcuts to good health? There aren’t any. Make a commitment to start making one change on at a time and you’ll build up good habits which lead to good health and better looks.
This week I challenge you to practice patience in an area of your life where you are struggling. What are you afraid will happen if you are patient instead of racing to the goal line? Practice patience. Good things do come to those who wait.
Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!
Hope Wissel 