The Art of Patience

"The Art of Patience"
(11/3/02 -- 18 years old)

Good things come to those who wait
How true that above statement is!!! To be able to succeed in life, we must be able to wait for things... to have patience. This concept is true in all areas of our lives!

To master a new skill, we must practice... we must give ourselves time to be able to accomplish our goals. Not allowing ourselves time to complete things is denying ourselves a chance at being able to do them at all!

In finding good matches for long-term relationships, we must also have patience. It's not common that one finds his or her best match on the first try. It takes time. It also allows us to learn more about ourselves.

Even waiting for the end of a work or school day requires us to be patient... and, to be the most productive and for the experience to be the most profitable, we must actively participate all the way to the end.

Patience is a virtue
To be able to wait for someone who is taking a little (or a lot) more time to finish a task is a great gift to both yourself and the other person. Not allowing the other person to do things for themselves when they can and will, is hurting them... even if it IS saving some time right now. In the long run, though, it actually is probably wasting more time.

To be able to wait for yourself to complete something is also a valued trait. To expect yourself to get something done quicker than your are able to leads to frustration, poor performance, and possibly giving up. One common instance that this patience with ourselves is necessary is when recovering -- from anything! The mindset is often "I want this to be perfect! I want to recover quickly! And I want it NOW!" Living by this, though, will not lead to positive results. Although it would be nice to have a magic "recovery wand," there is not one on the market yet (nor will there ever BE one -- or am I just being impatient?!) Recovery is a process, often long... often difficult and emotional... and ALWAYS requiring patience! Remind yourself of this concept when you begin to get frustrated with yourself (or others.)

Now, I'll leave you with something I believe to be true (and later learned the Bible does as well...):

“To love is to be patient... and to be patient is to love”
So, spread the love... spread the patience... live your life!

P.S. to all the MDs out there...
If you don't have "patience", start advertising!!!