Today I want to talk about Patience. “Patience is a virtue” is the old saying, but what does that mean and why is it so important in our lives? There are numerous examples of times when you need patience. For example, the few weeks prior to giving birth, I was feeling very impatient, wanting to have my baby in my arms instead of in my belly, but there is a difference between what we “want” and what we “need”. I “wanted” to be less uncomfortable and “wanted” to be able to roll over in my bed without pain, but the baby “needed” to grow and develop more so that he could be healthy when he did come out and at the end of the day I resigned to the fact that his “need” overrode my “want”, thus allowing me to have patience for another day.

I have found that having patience is all about living in the moment. Being impatient means that you are looking ahead and wanting whatever you see in front of you to be here now. But how many times have we been impatient for something only to be disappointed when it finally arrives. Somehow we build up this anticipation for the event or thing and once it is here is either not such a big deal or it is here and gone and we didn’t stop to really enjoy it. I felt that way after my wedding. There was so much planning and preparing and excitement prior to the wedding that once the night was over it was like wedding withdrawal.

The key to having patience truly is being present to what is happening right now. If you are 100% focused on what you are doing right now or 100% focused on who you are talking to you don’t have time to be thinking ahead to the future and worrying or getting nervous or being impatient for something to happen. Everything will happen in its own time, whether you are anxious about it or not. It is better to enjoy and take advantage of what is happening in front of you than to waste time wishing things were different. That is not to say that if bad things are happening now that you simply sit on your haunches and wait. You always have the power to do things differently. Focusing on what you are doing today and evaluating if you need to do things differently will help you get to the point where you can enjoy what you are doing today. Focusing on the present helps you to take stock of what you like and what you don’t and make the choice to live your best life today.

So take a deep breath and notice your surroundings. Pay attention and appreciate what you have and you will find your patience growing exponentially.

best life, focus, patience, present moment Hide