Patience is a virtue and a skill which can unlock great benefits in your life. By working on patience and looking to become more patient, you will create many favorable situations for yourself. In this post, you’ll learn about the benefits of being patient, the importance of patience, and ways you can be more patient in life.
Over the past few months, I’ve been meeting a lot of amazing women and going on a fair amount of dates. Something I’ve had to work on is being patient with some of the women I meet. I tend to get excited to hang out again, while they are slower to be open to seeing me again.
This push and pull is part of the dating game these days, and patience is very important for letting attraction build naturally.
I’ve been thinking a lot about patience recently with my focus on going out with new women, but I’ve also been thinking a lot about patience with regards to my level of physical fitness.
When looking to get into shape, there’s a lot of pain, sweat and suffering that goes into every workout.
4 sets of 10 of a certain exercise leads to no visible results the next time you look in the mirror. Doing it another day leads to more nothing after the next exercise.
Over time though, your body starts to change and you do see the results. With consistency, action, and patience, you can reach your fitness goals.
While you might not see the results in the first week or month, over time, you can get there.
Why is patience so important? What are the benefits of being patient? How can you be more patient and what are some ways to become more patient?
In this post, I will share with you why practicing patience is important for success, what are the benefits of being patient, and some tips for becoming more patient in life.
Why Practicing Patience is Important for Success
Patience is very important for success in life.
But first, what is patience?
Patience is defined as the the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
Patience can be thought of of as being zen, and being unaffected by the crazy world around us.
When we are impatient, or not completely in control of our lives, we can get distraught, distracted and discouraged.
Think about a time when you were frustrated by the lack of your progress in a certain area.
Becoming frustrated didn’t lead to instant results, and may have even made the situation worse.
I know this has happened to me, especially in sports when trying to perfect a new swing and technique.
Recently, I’ve been rock climbing a lot, and as I’ve improved and gotten stronger, I have had to learn a ton about keeping a tight core and positioning my body in ways which will help me keep more balance.
It’s very frustrating when I fall off the wall because I’m slightly out of position. Instead of getting frustrated though, I need to stay calm, be patient, and keep working on the moves.
By being patient, we can stay calm, cool and collected, and keep on the path to achieving our goals and getting on to our dream life.
What are the Benefits of Being Patient?
There are many benefits of being patient in life.
Some of these benefits of practicing patience include:
- Helping you focus on longer term outcomes and goals, rather than short term pleasure
- Helping you with making good choices, rather than making impulsive decision
- Forcing you to show empathy and kindness towards others
By being patient, you will become a more peaceful, empathetic and kind human over time, and also, with a clearer mind, you can start to make better and rational decisions.
Being patient involves slowing down, understanding where others are coming from, and making a rational plan.
Becoming more patient doesn’t mean you are throwing emotions out the window – it just means that there are a time and place for certain emotions, and a time and place for being level-headed.
Now that we’ve discussed why being patient is important, let’s talk about some tips for becoming more patient, and also give some examples of the importance of being patient in different situations.
7 Ways to Be More Patient in Life
Below are 7 tips for becoming more patient in life. The overarching thought of becoming more patient is slowing down in life and looking to live intentionally.
Whether you are trying to be more patient in the workplace, be more patient at home, or be more patient in general, these 7 ways to being more patient will help you with your goal.
The 7 ways to be more patient are as follows:
- Slow Down
- Breathe
- Focus on What’s Important
- Communicate Your Thoughts with Others and Yourself
- Use Affirmations to Get in the Right Mindset
- Understand Time Can Heal
- Be Mindful of Your Progress and Current Situation
Let’s get into each of these tips for becoming more patient in more detail.
1. Becoming Patient Involves Slowing Down
Going one hundred miles an hour isn’t always the most optimal way to get to success.
Figuring out the right balance between when to push and when to pull back is tough, but is helpful for assessing the situation at hand.
Slowing down could mean taking a step back from the situation, pausing for a few seconds, pulling over on the side of the road, and once there, thinking to yourself, “What’s the best step I can take next?”
2. Breathing Will Help With Patience
Our bodies run on oxygen and getting this oxygen in times of need can be very helpful.
After slowing down, taking a few deep breaths can help with patience. There are many benefits of breathing, one of those benefits being that it quite literally is lowering your stress hormone cortisol!
By taking a few deep and slow breaths, you can reduce your level of stress, and work on making your next step a good one.
3. Focus on What’s Important
After slowing down and taking a few deep breaths, it’s important to figure out what is important and then act on this plan.
Another way to think about this step in becoming more patient is to completely ignore what you are stressed about and focusing on other tasks.
I know that if I’m stressed about a mistake, a misstep, or lack of progress, if I start doing something else, I can forget about what I’m stressed about and move on.
4. Communicate With Those Around You and Yourself
Frustration and anxiety can be internal, or external. In either case, asking the right questions of others or yourself can be helpful.
Asking, why am I stressed, or why am I not progressing, rather than getting frustrated and not doing anything about it, can be helpful.
Likewise, asking those around you about your situation can be helpful. Also, asking questions and looking to understand the other person’s position can help.
If you are frustrated with a child who keeps whining, trying to understand why they are whining can result in a better situation than complaining or yelling (though every situation is different – tough love could make sense too!)
The key here is to try and gain information you can use in a logical and rational way. There are times to be emotional in life, but when looking to become more patient, being calm is better.
5. Use Affirmations to Get in the Right Mindset
“I am a patient person.”
When you wake up tomorrow morning, say this 3 times.
“I am a patient person.”
“I am a patient person.”
“I am a patient person.”
Affirmations are incredibly powerful because you can quite literally reprogram your brain to think the way you want to think.
Getting in the right mindset is incredibly important for life in general, and is especially critical for becoming more patient.
6. Understand Time Can Heal
Unfortunately, time can sometimes be the best medicine for stress and anxiety. Giving yourself a break for a day, or week, can help your situation in times of impatience.
One example here is with training to get in shape.
Did you know your body actually grows when you are resting, rather than when you are in the gym?
Listening to your body and resting is sometimes the optimal way to proceed. If you are hurting, pushing to get one more workout in before the week ends might actually do the opposite of healing.
In a similar way, giving space to others when they aren’t living up to their responsibilities or doing what you want can work.
This is especially true in relationships, and is something I need myself as an introvert – space.
By giving space, you allow time to heal your frustrations, give the other person time to think, and after a while, you can revisit where you are going.
7. Gain Perspective on Where You’ve Came From and Your Current Situation
Looking back on where you have came from is a very powerful way to remain patient. This is something I experience when I look at my financial situation.
When I get stressed about money, and wish I had more, I look back on where I’ve came in the past 5 years and feel good about my progress.
I also think about those around me, and how many people would want to change places with me, and this also helps me gain a better perspective on my thoughts.
Seeing where you’ve came from, looking at those around you, and slowing down can help you with patience.
Now that we have talked about these tips for becoming more patient in life, let’s talk about the application of patience in a few different areas of life.
How to Find Patience in Different Areas of Life
You just learned about 7 tips you can take to apply in your life to become more patient, but now I’m going to share with you a number of situations where patience can help.
These situations are areas that I struggle with patience, and hopefully by sharing these situations with you, you can start looking at your life and make adjustments for the better.
The 4 situations I will share with you regarding patience are:
- Patience with Other People
- Patience with Exercise and Fitness
- Patience in the Workplace and in Your Career
- Patience with Money
Let’s dive into each of these four areas of life and talk about how being patient can help.
1. How to Be More Patient with Other People and in Relationships
As I discussed in the introduction of this post, I struggle with patience in my relationships from time to time (especially new relationships).
When meeting a new and attractive woman, I have to remind myself that I need to stay focused on my mission and purpose in life. When learning about someone else for the first time, there are a lot of things to get comfortable with, learn and do before attraction and comfort set in.
Having patience in my new relationships involves slowing down and having a longer term focus on my actions.
For existing relationships, friends, and co-workers, patience really boils down to understanding that other people have different goals and wants, and communication and empathy are very important.
Communicating with others when you have differences is the key to good relationships. If you can slow down, compose yourself, and understand where the other person is coming from, then you can navigate different social situations much easier than if you get upset.
2. How to Find Patience in Exercise and Fitness
Losing weight, “getting in shape”, improving in a sport, and gaining strength all require patience.
No one becomes an Olympic athlete overnight, even with so many diets and workout programs promising a quick fix.
Finding patience in exercise and fitness comes from an understanding that the body cannot change over night.
Weight is a simple “calories in minus calories out” equation, and while fasting can be beneficial, eating and getting the proper amount of nutrients is very important for general health.
Consistency and action are truly the most importance traits to cultivate when looking to get into shape, and by understanding this, you can develop patience towards your body.
3. How to Be More Patient in the Workplace
A very common question is how to be more patient in the workplace and how can I be more patient when I’m working.
One of the most frustrating things in my career is the lack of progression in responsibility and results, and how certain people at work can have no awareness of how they are working with others.
With working with annoying co-workers, if it’s really bad, then there are times when leaving your current role needs to be an option on the table.
If the situation is not that bad, then practicing empathy, breathing, and taking a long term view on why you are going to work is important here.
Sometimes, a crappy job in the short term is necessary to build skills, build savings, pay down debt, or provide for your family.
With waiting for a promotion, recognition, and results, understanding the goals and views of your organization are important for gaining perspective on the situation.
Again, some companies are not great companies and do not have a plan in place for you.
However, by communicating your goals and wants with your manager, and understanding the big picture, you can find clarity in the situation.
4. How to Find Patience with Money
Finally, if you are struggling with patience and your personal financial situation, there is hope.
I want to become rich at a young age. Becoming rich and financially free in my 20s or 30s would be an amazing accomplishment, but unfortunately to do so, I need to (a) make a lot of money, and (b) save a lot of money.
Becoming a millionaire, creating passive income, and becoming financially independent does not happen overnight.
Most months, my savings go up a few hundred dollars, and other months, a few thousand dollars.
$1,000, while a lot of money, isn’t enough to retire on, or enough to fall back on in the world today.
I sometimes get impatience at my lack of progress, but when I zoom out, I see some great results.
Falling back on this progress, and also understanding how time multiplies money via compounding, I find peace in my situation and keep going forward with my financial plans.
Start Working on Being More Patient Today
Practicing patience with yourself and with others will pay dividends for you in your life. Working on becoming more patient can result in great success, but it will take work.
Breathing, focusing on other tasks, communicating with others involved, becoming more self aware, and understanding sometimes time will cure things are great ways to become more patient.
Over time, through working on becoming more patient, you will become a more patient and positive person.
With this post, you now know a number of ways to be more patient, and how to become more patient in the workplace, become more patient at home, and become more patient in your daily life.
As we talked about, the importance of patience can’t be stressed any more, and with many benefits of being patience, you can’t not work on becoming more patient this year.
Slowing down and practicing patience can lead to less stress and more happiness. Will you give patience a shot?
Readers: how do you practice patience and how do you work on becoming more patient with those around you and yourself?
Thank you for reading!