Growing one’s patience

When I was a kid, I was never told that I could train my patience to become more reliable and more resilient. I was just told that “I had to be patient”, like this, out of the blue. I couldn’t understand that patience, like many other traits, could be nurtured, developed and expanded in my best interest and to help me successfully navigate life. 

So, as a result, my youth and a long portion of my adulthood have been marred by some very bad cases of impatience. As I’ve aged, impatience gradually lost its sharp angles and its fiery intensity. Today it’s much milder, but still exists, hiding in the many corners of my mind. It’s not that over the years, I haven’t done anything about it. 

For instance, delayed gratification has constantly made myself stronger and capable of waiting for things I wanted and ultimately. increased my happiness. But today there are still other steps that I must take to become more patient, like biding my time when I’m stuck in traffic, eating more slowly to appreciate my food, always seeking challenging tasks or not objecting to re-doing certain boring jobs. 

When I remember to do it, I try to be more patient with others, listen more actively and be more compassionate. I always need to remember that any new task comes with a definite learning curve and I must never forget to abide by it. I’m also better at accepting uncertainty as part of my life. Tending a veggie garden has also helped me a great deal in harnessing my patience. 

I simply need to go with the flow and wait for my salads to grow, regardless of my unreasonable wishes! Meditating daily has also helped me greatly in becoming more patient. So when all is said and done, patience is a growth strategy, so I remain patiently optimistic about my ability to wait to becoming more patient, while keeping a big smile on my face!