Do you know those people who stick around come hell or high water? How often do you tell them, Thank you for being patient with me?
Because let me tell you. Patience is one of the most underrated qualities out there.
And if you have a patient person by your side, it’s important to acknowledge how much of a difference they make in your life.
Be it your trusted best friend, a strong woman such as your mom/big sister, or an unlikely ally that has helped you weather the storms: Thank them. Appreciate them.
Having a lot of patience is valor that improves our daily life and increases our well-being.
It’s a person’s ability to remain calm and unbothered amid difficult circumstances.
And those who have mastered the art of patience understand that it’s a skill that yields many powerful benefits.
See also: 30-Day Self-Love Challenge: Become The Best Version Of Yourself
15 Effective Ways To Become More Patient In Life
Practice makes perfect
Let me give you some really cool ideas:
• A great way to learn some patience is by choosing to read a great, complex novel (perhaps War and Peace?)
• Crossword puzzles, sudoku, and all those mind-stretching games can help you reach your goal.
• If you’re always ordering in, why not start cooking delicious, new meals from scratch?
• Instead of taking your own car or bike to work, opt for public transport. That ought to be the ultimate test for a person’s patience.
• Don’t take out your phone every single time you’re bored waiting in line.
• If you have friends with kids, offer your babysitting services! There’s nothing like a toddler to test your nerves.
Why are you impatient in the first place?
Have you considered where your impatience stems from? Have you always been this way or have circumstances made you like this?
It’s a smart move to give this some further thought. Perhaps by figuring it out, you might be able to nip it in the bud faster.
Introspection is good for the soul. It helps you figure out what makes you tick and how to get rid of old junk.
Don’t be uncomfortable with things you can’t control
This is a really important piece of advice to keep in mind. There will always be circumstances out of your control.
Do NOT bother with them. If you can’t change something, leave it be! It’ll only cause you stress and anxiety, and for what?
Some things will happen no matter what, so it’s best to make peace with that and move on.
Find something to distract you
Whenever you start feeling extremely impatient, find a distraction. Go buy that dress (or suit) you favorited on Amazon the other day, try out being a blogger for a day, or improve your social media presence.
There are so many things you can try out.
Google fun, distracting activities, and whatever you’re pining over (heartbreak, annoying people, desk clerks), it’ll distract you for a minute.
Recognize your triggers
I want you to really be patient with me here and look back on what triggers your inner edgy person.
When was the first time you realized the little things can annoy you so much?
In order to live a high-quality life and preserve your mental health, you need to understand what causes your issues in the first place.
If it’s a long story, share it with your partner or a medical care professional (like a shrink) and talk it out. It’s bound to help you out.
See also: Accept People For Who They Are Instead Of Trying To Change Them
Live in the present moment
Stop replaying the events from last week in your head.
Stop dreaming about that trip to New York that you want to go to so badly, and start living in the NOW.
While you’re preoccupied with the things that are over and things that might not ever happen, life is passing you by.
Self-care and self-love are two things I want you to learn today. Love yourself enough to be present and live your life TODAY.
Retrain those who contribute to your impatience
I luckily have a few amazing people that I cherish for being patient with me.
But at the same time, there were a few individuals who I had to cut out.
Suss out those who contribute to your uneasiness and try to communicate it. If they can’t see where you’re coming from, leave them.
Give yourself a time-out
Vibes don’t lie. If you sense that you’re in need of a break, take it. No explanations needed. You’re only human and deserve me-time.
Don’t feel embarrassed about needing some time to process things. Nobody expects you to be okay 24/7.
A little break will help you put things into perspective and recharge you for what’s to come.
Oh, and have I mentioned it’ll instill some much-needed patience in you as well?
Keep your end-goal in mind
People being patient with me have helped me realize how vital it is to keep picturing my end-goal. That way, I always know what I’m fighting for.
Every obstacle and every minor issue will suddenly stop feeling so important. Why? Because you’ll have your priorities straight.
Accept the things you cannot change
Consider one of my all-time favorite quotes and bear it in mind at all times:
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
See also: How To Be Mature: 18 Tips To Help You Boost Your Maturity Levels
What is the big picture here?
Is this minor annoyance that is costing you your patience really that important? Or will it be forgotten like a trending Twitter topic?
Keep the big picture in mind. Know exactly why you’re doing this. It will help you see what’s totally not worth stressing over.
Find healthy outlets to release impatience
The very first thing that comes to mind is exercise. This is a fantastic outlet to let off some steam and recenter yourself.
Exercise is the best and healthiest way to get yourself in order and feel mighty good doing it. Find a local gym and sign up (trust me).
Understand that things don’t happen overnight
It’s also really important to be reasonable with your expectations. Success doesn’t happen overnight. You won’t magically become zen tomorrow. It takes time.
But that’s totally okay! Isn’t it the best reward when you finally, one day, realize that you’ve reached your goals through patience?
Small wins ARE progress
Rejoice in every single tiny victory! Guess what? They mean a GREAT deal. They push you to do even better next time.
So if you’ve managed to stay calm in a situation that would normally rattle you, give yourself a round of applause! That’s a MAJOR win.
Reach out and ask others for help
You losing your patience almost always has something to do with other people, right? So don’t isolate yourself.
Ask for help!
If it’s a co-worker who expects you to accomplish a new task without having explained it to you, communicate!
Don’t be annoyed with them without giving them a chance to do better.
You’d be astonished how much healthy communication can help you in everyday life.
See also: What Am I Doing With My Life? 10 Steps To Help You Find Your Purpose
10 UNDENIABLE Benefits Of Being Patient
It teaches you to focus on your long-term goals
Thanks to my amazing best friends and family being patient with me, I’ve learned to put my focus on the important stuff.
So now, instead of getting rattled about minor inconveniences along the road, I put it all into perspective.
Will this affect my long-term goals? And more often than not the answer is NO, so I take a deep breath and continue forward.
It invites peace into your life
Finding peace is priceless. The older you get, the more aware you become of this. And luckily, patience will bring you bucket loads of it.
And once it happens, you’ll realize that life can be so good. This will help you steer clear of negativity and jumpiness for good.
It helps you build strong personal relationships
You are much more likely to establish high-quality relationships if you’re seen as a calm and collected person.
Think about it.
Would you like to be friends with someone who gets jumpy at first sight of trouble? I didn’t think so… Do you get it now?
You make significantly better choices
Easy does it. When you’re at the edge of your nerves, annoyed by every little thing that doesn’t go your way, your choices are based on your current disposition (which is a bad thing).
BUT, when you’re able to center yourself and find patience within, you’ll be much more likely to make good decisions in the long-run.
You learn that success doesn’t happen overnight and that’s okay
Coming to terms with the importance of patience makes you see that it’s insane to think success will find you overnight.
But it won’t matter because you’ll understand that hard work, perseverance, and, of course, patience are the key ingredients for a happy, healthy life!
You’ll pace yourself, stay on track, and know what you aim to accomplish. And once you get there, it’ll be so much more worth it.
See also: Dream Quotes: 100+ Motivational Quotes To Help You Chase Your Dreams
The less you stress, the better you feel, mentally and emotionally
I’ve already touched on the importance of your mental health. So I need you to be patient with me here again (see what I did there?) This is all for your own good.
Less stress means more happy days. And happy days will allow you to see all the benefits of patience. You’ll simply be too happy to rush anything ever again.
When bad things start happening, it’ll be so much easier to keep a sound mind. And ultimately, that’s all you could hope for!
It improves your skill set
Let’s assume your impatience is at its worst at work. You just need to be done with things quickly, without giving anything much thought, because hey, we all just want to go home, right?
But that’s the wrong way to go about things. If you rush things, you’re ensuring a poorly done job. Find an efficient way to do stuff with understanding and you might just brush up on your skills.
You’re never too old to learn new things. So I encourage you to start practicing patience at your place of business. It’ll make you a much better worker.
You realize that opportunities are virtually endless
It helps you see that there’s more to life than meets the eye. Just because you didn’t get that job, doesn’t mean there aren’t a million more opportunities around the corner.
Just because you lost out on a chance to do something you’ve always wanted to do, doesn’t mean there won’t be another chance.
Basically, you finally understand that opportunities abound and that it’s not the end of the world if things don’t click right away.
It draws people to you
Oh, yeah. You might just become a people magnet. No, but seriously. Think about it from your own point of view.
Aren’t you 10 times more likely to strike up a conversation with a calm person than with someone who seems on edge all the time?
I know I am. And there’s nothing wrong with that. People like to be associated with those who have a calm, patient vibe about them.
See? Patience can help you in so many areas of your life. All it takes is some willpower, and then it’ll almost become like a habit!
This is a surefire way to practice kindness
Admit it. When you’re edgy, jumpy, or nervous, you’re extremely likely to take it out on an innocent bystander (we all are).
And sure, with time, you realize that it was wrong and start feeling bad about it. But what if you could avoid doing it at all? Yup, patience can help you become a much kinder person!
You won’t be tempted to yell out at strangers and those near you because you’ll have taught yourself against it.
And isn’t that cool?
See also: Feeling Defeated And Lost? These 10 Things Will Help You Cope
It All Starts With A Little Bit Of Patience
My close ones know that being patient with me is no easy task. This is why I am eternally grateful to every single person who has touched my life and helped me realize just why patience is so important.
I truly hope that this article has resonated with you in some way, and maybe even made you want to step on the brakes and slow down a bit?
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this it’s that life isn’t going anywhere. There will be an abundance of opportunities for you to prove yourself, so don’t rush it.
Patience helps you see everything from the right perspective, it saves you so many nerves, and it helps you prioritize things.
Slow down your roll, take a deep breath, and think of all the right ways to do something your own way (stress-free). Things always happen the way they’re supposed to happen.
So quiet those pesky voices that are urging you to rush it, and mute them for good. There’s plenty of time to figure it all out.
