Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love
“Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.” ~ Plautus
Urgency might have been the force that led you to success in the past. The urgency of creating actions aimed to win might have been an advantage that helped you stand out in the world of business.
A sense of urgency may have accelerated your earlier career, yet is it still serving you?
You may not have realized that with urgency comes impatience.
And impatience calls forth stress and frustration, which can lead to feelings of overwhelm, restlessness, and lack of motivation. Eventually, you may experience physical symptoms, such as high blood pressure, stomach upset, fatigue, and burnout. Overall, impatience can be detrimental to your well-being.
On the other hand, patience can have beneficial effects. Patience provides a sense of calm and ease in times of adversity. As you practice patience, your experience of stress, anxiety and overwhelm begins shifting to that of happiness, joy, and relief. This can have a positive impact on your mental, physical and spiritual well-being.
So, you can navigate your actions with a sense of urgency or a sense of calm — impatience or patience. The cultivation of patience, through the ensuing practices, will aid you on your journey to peace of mind…
Teach others
“If you want something done well, do it yourself” is a proverb that the Type-A woman can relate to. Yet, what if, when someone does a task incorrectly, you were to let go of frustration and take action to show them how it’s done? You would help someone develop a new skill and become more understanding by seeing things from their perspective. Not only could you gain patience by teaching others, you’d also free up your schedule by delegating with confidence that the job will be done properly.
Listen
Don’t let your mind’s chatter eclipse the sounds of the present moment. At times you may feel a sense of urgency to take immediate action. The noise in your head is telling you to go, go, go, pushing you, so that you feel annoyed with the story your husband is telling or distracted from your child is sharing about their day. Listening to the dialog in your mind creates impatience, taking you away from being fully present and enjoying those you truly care about. Instead, tune in. Let the precious sounds of life fill your ears and your soul. You might even find your calm.
Be flexible
Let go of your high expectations and perfectionism. They can only lead to frustration and annoyance. When you adjust your expectations, imperfection no longer holds you back from enjoying life’s journey. As you become more flexible and accepting, you may find outcomes that are even better than you expected.
Push the pause button
You might think you need a positive outcome right now! Yet a great way to practice patience is to push the pause button on your desires. Take a walk before dessert, wait a day or two before purchasing the item you want, or practice a mindful exercise before jumping into your day. You may find gratification or peace of mind in the delay itself.
Be grateful
There’s always something to be grateful for, especially at times when you feel frustrated and impatient. When you choose to be grateful, you invite calm and ease into your experience. Minor irritations and inconveniences caused by impatience no longer matter. Speak a positive mantra when you feel impatient, such as, “this moment will pass” or “all is well”, and see how quickly impatient thoughts disappear.
Healthy wellbeing begins with patience, which guides your journey to peace of mind. And peace of mind allows you to feel more joy and ease.
Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love
Do you feel pressure to get things done quickly?
When you push yourself harder to reach your goal, is your wellbeing negatively impacted?
Is this also sacrificing your highest vision of success?
As a high-achieving woman aiming to conquer extraordinary goals, time can often feel like your greatest obstacle. Even when there is no externally established deadline, you may feel a self-imposed sense of urgency for immediate results.
In my previous article ‘What Is Success Without Sacrifice? Plus, How You Can Have It’, I spoke about how true success comes without sacrifice, from goals that are aligned with your authentic Self and add greater purpose and meaning to your life.
Yet a goal that presents during your spiritual journey is most likely no small feat. These types of endeavors may take longer to come to fruition than we desire. A Type-A woman typically wants results fast, which can, at times, conflict with the pace of Divine right timing. If your spirit is calling you to pursue something, patience is key to receiving the results of this goal with greater ease.
Patience encourages you to be flexible, whether or not things go as planned. When obstacles arise, patience invites you to adjust your plans with ease. As you continue on your spiritual journey, you’ll notice that the methods used for developing patience are similar to the consistent practices used to embody a more spiritual mindset.
Here are some practices you can use to receive the benefits of patience and move closer to your goal:
Invite spaciousness
Gift yourself relief from unnecessary timelines and pressure that can build frustration. When you give yourself a break from efforting and pushing to move forward, things work out in Divine right timing to serve your highest good.
Welcome your journey to success
Without patience, you may make decisions or take actions that short-circuit the highest vision of your goal. Patience is a tool that encourages acceptance and faith that your goal will manifest even better than you could have imagined.
Bring enjoyment to the process
Each step can be more enjoyable when you can let go of your emphasis on its urgency and adopt a more playful and relaxed mindset that is not restricted by timelines. Obstacles that occur will feel more like interesting challenges rather than frustrating roadblocks.
Pause before acting
Fight or flight is ingrained in our DNA and it’s natural to want to respond quickly when obstacles occur. However, when danger isn’t present, we can allow ourselves time to react. If you’re feeling frustrated with the outcome and unsure about what to do next, take a pause before responding. This time allows you to think more clearly, process the situation, and glean the message that’s being shared. You may notice a shift in your feelings about the “obstacle” and even receive ideas for how to proceed toward your goal with greater ease.
Keep a journal
Keeping a journal can help you identify any inner reasons for why you’re facing external resistance to achieving your goal. By writing down your thoughts at the end of each day or week, you’ll be better able to identify the source of this resistance and more aware of the shifts that need to be made for you to reach your goal with patience and ease.
Learn meditative practices
If you’re feeling unnecessary pressure or frustration, it could be caused by a rigid timeline or an unyielding sense of urgency for the desired outcome. This can create constant worry or fretting. Meditation can clear those thoughts from your mind and allow you to cope in the present.
Learning how to use your breath mindfully is a meditative practice that can help resolve impatience. A simple breath can help you detach from your thoughts and focus on the moment. Plus, applying your breath to moving mindfully will assist you in reaching a more meditative state because your mind will be focusing on your body’s movement.
When you consistently work on these practices, you’ll notice greater ease and flow in reaching your goal with more patience.
Befriend Divine right timing. Let patience guide your journey to reach your goal with ease.
