Let patience be your power

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "to lose patience, is to lose the battle”.

Although fortunately, we are no tat battle in the literal sense, patience is still a vital coping skill everyone of us needs to possess. In the world we live in today, we can be inconstant struggle with ourselves and others due to varied reasons. Emotional exhaustion can become our reality at any given point of the day. The hustle culture that many glorify can aid in our levels of stress, frustration, and lowlife satisfaction levels.  Where many focus on immediate gratification and results, patience teaches us that it is ok to lose and learn.

Patience indeed has gotten a bad reputation. I too have been one of those who initially believed that having patience meant being passive or timid. However, post developing a calmer and more patient outlook towards situations I have realized that patience is strength. It is an emotionally freeing practice of waiting, watching, knowing when to respond and even when to let go. To grow, we might need to change somethings in our life. That change would not be possible without patience as change requires time and consistent effort. Without patience you wouldn’t give yourself the time to grow your skills. The unfortunate consequence of the absence of patience is the inability to do what’s necessary to improve your life. This mindset often comes with set perceptions and beliefs like;

·        “This is going to take forever”.

·        “I don’t think I can do it”.

·        “This is impossible”.

·        “I don’t deserve it”.

·        “I’m done. I give up!”

The minute these beliefs become apart of our inner dialogue; our growth will be restricted to a great deal. Instead, learn to acknowledge the beauty behind slowing down. Tell yourself from time to time that it is ok to relax and sometimes to even let go. A 2012 study in the Journal of Positive Psychology identified three distinct expressions of patience:

1.   Interpersonal, which is maintaining calm when dealing with someone who is upset, angry, or being a pest.

2.   Life hardships or finding the silver lining after a serious setback.

3.   Daily hassles, which is suppressing annoyance at delays or anything irritating that would inspire a snarky tweet.

The good news is that the same study found that patience is a personality trait that can be developed or modified. So, if we have not particularly been a patient person today, there’s still hope that we can be amore patient person tomorrow. Many psychologists believe that patience begins with hope. The hope that we will achieve all that we set our mind to. The hope that we will be in the ideal position we have so far only dreamt of. Without hope or believing that good things are achievable, we will simply not have faith that positive change is possible.

Being patient also encompasses several essential ways of looking at ourselves and the challenges we face as we work to become the best version of ourselves. If you are someone who demands immediate gratification and gets upset when you do not achieve it, you are in for a big challenge. Patience is a precious virtue that we need to work hard to achieve. To do so we can;

1.   Be intrinsically driven by our life goals. Ignite the fire to change and not stop till the goal is achieve irrespective of the time it takes.

2.   Set long-term goals, not just short-term goals. Change takes time. Achieving short-term goals will help reinforce behavior in the long run.

3.   Be realistic in setting goal sand while assessing situations surrounding the goal. Reassess situations when ever necessary and make necessary changes in how you are to attain the goal.

4.   Impatience is the “fight” component of the fight-or-flight response, according to M.J. Ryan, executive coach and author of The Power of Patience: How This Old-Fashioned Virtue Can Improve Your Life. Identify your trigger(s) and you are already halfway to gaining control.

5.   Once we know our triggers, we have to start working on staying out of fight-or-flight mode. Start incorporating some stress reduction measures.

6.   Be resilient. Don’t back down in the face of any challenge.

When we take patience and add other ingredients like persistence, perseverance and resilience, we are on course to find our own recipe for positive life changes. We set ourselves up to know what lies ahead and are willing to stay on the course until we become the person we have always dreamed of.

Yes, challenges will arise, you will feel tired, alone and even disconnected at times. But always remember that just because you started off alone, you do not have to struggle alone too. You are just one call away from your professional friends who are more than willing to help you through your journey of holistic transformation. Connect with us via our toll-free number 1800-833-8747 or email us attransformhappily@gmail.com. You can also visit our website www.transformhappily.com to explore our help options.

Until then let’s transformhappily and patiently!