The difference between waiting and being patient
In our fast-paced lives, waiting isn’t always easy.
However, at its core, patience isn’t just about waiting.
Patience is the ability to accept delay or tolerate setbacks. Think about how you react in situations like this.
You’re not understanding an assignment or struggling to finish a task in a timely manner at work. You’re frustrated and impatient.
As a parent, you might feel impatient waiting for your child to tie their shoes and get out the door.
You’re antsy when the ride to the party is running late or mad there’s a long line at Starbucks.
In these moments, it’s important to make sure the negative emotions don’t get the best of us. Harping on the negativity in these situations will only make the waiting process seem longer - and we don’t want that! Yes it’s usually an inconvenience of some sort and we can’t alway be super positive; but if all you’re thinking about while waiting for your coffee is “I’ll never make it out if here…All I want is my drink…My drink takes two seconds to make… This is taking forever” then it will surely, feel like forever. You might not even enjoy it much after!
The more frustrated we become, the more we lose focus on the end goal or the great thing what we’re actually waiting for! Practicing mindful patience (whenever we can at least) allows us to appreciate the present moment and remain calm. Obviously in times of urgency, danger, or emergency this could be impossible. But in our regular day to day, it’s a great practice to implement.
When your patient, your coffee will taste that much sweeter. The assignment from your boss will finally click and make you feel confident in your work. Remember You’ll make it to the party eventually and still have a fun time when you get there. Sometimes when I experience this, I think about how the waiting period might’ve actually benefited me. If i had finished the project sooner, maybe I would’ve made a mistake. If I left the house earlier, maybe I would’ve hit more traffic. Maybe the barista is having a rough day and needed a minute to take a breather before getting to my drink.
Patience is something that allows you to live an overall more relaxing life - who doesn’t want that?
