Being patient comes with many advantages. Some include helping to combat and cope against the struggle of not getting a certain result that you wanted, and it being a great way to spread humanity to the world through kindness and selflessness. Being patient however can be quite a challenging thing because it can be easy get discouraged when you don’t get something you wanted, and it comes more natural to human beings to care and think more about oneself and how you feel first.
Improving patience is a valuable aspect to work on for all of us. Because of this, I wanted to do what I could to help provide some tips that captivated me and wanted to share what I think could also help others in being more patient. Below are 3 tips that I use that help me to be more patient. I hope they help you as well.
1.) Practice being patient
In order to be better at something, one must practice it. You don’t get better at something by magic. There must be some kind of work involved to push you to the next level. So to become better at being patient, practice it by setting tiny goals of being more patient than you normally would in the situations where you want to be urgent (I’m not in any way referring to emergency situations). It could be something such as choosing to not get upset that you didn’t catch a green light, or not getting upset you didn’t get the promotion, or not getting upset that your ordered meal came later than expected, or when you want to do something fun instead of doing a task. Or it may be choosing to let someone get in line before you. These are only examples, but it’s anything aside from emergency situations, where you naturally want to be impatient, but you focus on being more patient instead.
Here’s a situation that really made me realize I needed to have more patience in my life: If you are someone who, like me, really likes to rely on clicking on the suggested search options without finishing tying in your queue request, such as when searching for a movie on Netflix, try taking the time to finish typing out your entire queue instead of clicking on the suggested search options. You may realize that it can be very difficult and frustrating just to finish typing out your entire queues, especially if it’s a longer one. Something as small and simple as that can really give a good clue as to how much more patience should be implemented on a day to day basis.
We get good at what we practice, so it is vital to practice being more and more patient. When you notice even small improvements, make sure to celebrate and be proud of your accomplishments. At the end of the day, progress is what really matters. As long as things are getting better, eventually being patient will be second nature!
2.) Remember the value patience will have on your life
People don’t do something without having a good enough reason to do it. Thus, to improve your patience it is crucial to remember the value that it will have on your life. What would your life look like if you had more patience? Would some things not get to you as easy as they may have in the past? Would annoying and frustrating things become less emotionally riling? Would you be more in control over your feelings?
Patience will provide these kinds of benefits, giving you more power over yourself and your life, When you are struggling to be patient, it can be difficult to think things through and just react to the situation instead. So when faced with the challange, just remember the life changing benefits that it will offer you. It will lead to more happiness and more personal satisfaction being able to prevent things from triggering the sense of impatience.
3.) Remember the difference you are making in the lives of others by being patient
When you are being patient by showing selflessness towards people, you are making a difference in the eyes of others. It is easy to be selfish. Anyone can do it. But not everyone can be patient and value someone else over themselves. When you show patience by forgoing your own needs to satisfy another’s needs first, that kind of behavior is what catches people’s attention. It gives hope that there are still good people in this broken world. Doing even the smallest sense of kindness goes a very long way and spreads what this world needs most….love.
When you are faced with situations to be selfless and kind to others, remember the value that this would bring to the world. Just think about questions like, “Would you be serving a great purpose in spreading humanity to the world?” and “Would you be a role model to others on what kindness and selflessness is all about?”. Focusing on the positive effects and overall value that being more patient would have on people will help influence you to see the good reasons to be patient instead.
One of the primary needs people have is to have a sense of purpose. To feel like our individual lives matters. We want to be able to know that we’ve made a positive impact on the world. It can be difficult to notice at times, but being patient by way of selflessness is one of those hidden things that makes a huge difference in the world. It is very meaningful to people and displays an infectious amount of love and humanity that this world needs. So remember, when you show patience by way of selflessness towards people, you’ll be fulfilling your desire of making a difference in the world.
Conclusion
It can be hard to be patient, but patience is worth working to improve upon. By practicing being patient and remembering the value that it adds to your life and the world around you, eventually patience will become something that is second nature. If you find yourself messing up and you get discouraged, make sure to celebrate the little victories because at the end of the day it’s progress that matters most. Things take time, but eventually things will become easier to do. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and the better you get at it.