Back in the days of school, we had regular assemblies. There was one particular assembly on patience in year 8, I must have been 13 or 14 years of age. Although I do not remember much of the talk, I fondly recall one quote mentioned; ‘patience is a virtue’. Following that day, I would repeat the quote often as a joke, causing annoyance to those around as they didn’t know what it meant. The comical part is that neither did I, until researching the meaning several years later.
The virtue of patience brings tranquillity. This state of remaining level-headed in difficult times translates across all areas of life. It is an action we should strive to practice daily, especially considering the times we live in. Attention spans and patience are being tested like never before. Everything is at the click of a button resulting in a decline on the standards of patience. Receiving everything promptly has caused unrealistic expectations in other areas of life, which may contribute to a lack of happiness or success. Prolonged scenarios affect every person and that’s normal, if our requirements are time-based and are not met, then we would experience some sort of discouragement.
Our patience is regularly tested and we end up enduring it. However, our manners and attitude fail us. In these situations, we become selfish as the thought of others deserts our minds. All we care about is ourselves and the weight of our words are not carefully chosen. At the time of frustration, we must bite our tongues and refrain from outbursts. Words in most cases cut deeper than actions and will leave a negative impact lasting indefinitely. The effect of words deserves its own blog post so, I will stop there.
Frustration at times of difficulty - Power of patience
Understanding that frustration and worries result in time wasted, can save you from mental stress. I admit it is not a walk in the park to remain calm when one’s patience is tested. No situation is identical, and neither are our emotions. When placed in a scenario that does not favour us, only then is our patience tested. For example, you may have endured a predicament for a period, extremely close to succeeding although, at the time, you were ignorant. Having experienced the distress and unwanted emotions, the easiest solution was to quit. On the other hand, there is an individual who was in a similar position. However, they were patient enough to persevere and understood the fruitful reward through equanimity.
Building patience
Author Eknath Easwaran stated the following - “Patience can’t be acquired overnight. It is just like building up a muscle. Every day you need to work on it.” I agree with Easwaran’s statement, if you do not consciously work on a skill, you will remain the person you were yesterday. Conversely, we cannot expect our patience to improve if we do not ponder every situation, remembering that all situations are unique and deserve lateral thinking.
There isn’t a day that passes where our patience isn’t tested irrespective of whether it’s a minor or major problem. Awareness is pivotal if improvements are to be noticeable. Look at tests of patience as an opportunity to develop further and over time, you will see the great reward of your poise.
Our surrounding is a perpetual battle of toleration that will never subside. Wishing for situations to ease is the incorrect path to walk. The goal should be to strengthen ourselves to deal with any inevitable future tribulations. We will thank our past selves for choosing to learn patience aiding toward every problem, goal, and decision. Patience is a by-product of success undermined among individuals seeking prompt results. Do better, learn to be patient.