By Xenia Estrella
“I love you, Sabado, pati na rin Linggo. Hintay ka lang, Jollibee, nandyan na ako. Panlasang Filipino, at home sa Jollibee!”. Whether or not you’re Filipino; no, I am not endorsing any commercial establishment. I just can’t believe I still have this whole jingle memorized, after all these years! I can only assume my mind is able to retain it because it reminds me so much of one of my favorite childhood pastimes. It takes me back to when I was a grade schooler who was always excited for Saturday mornings ‘cause it was the only time I was allowed to watch tv for hours. I always looked forward to marinating through a series of cartoons, 8am-12nn, during RPN 9’s Saturday Fun Machine. Oh, memories of Sabados! Super shallow, but to me that was super fun!
Some of you may already see a comparison coming up…
Patience.
During this present time, shows come on demand already, for both adults and kids. There is an overwhelming amount of choices that anyone, at any time, can scan through or watch; our daily conditions are already a far cry from those during my ‘80’s childhood. Today seems to purposely kill patience for a lot of people in a lot of ways, as if at this point, waiting for something can be considered a bad thing.
Everybody knows that patience is one of the most crucial elements for success, yet everyone’s inconsistent in applying it in life; some more than others. Why, and more importantly, how can this be fixed? Today, allow me to give you my take on this.
What is patience, anyway? “Patience is a virtue”. This sentiment is the 1st thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word. I guess the same is true for a number of people. The statement, after all, is quite known. Interestingly, patience is so much more than a virtue or a sentiment, though. There are a number of facets surrounding this one word; it may take time (and patience!) to fully see its true meaning. See, even more than being a state of moral excellence (a virtue) and a personal belief (a sentiment), patience is also a trait, an expression, a high quality behavior and an ability or skill — to consciously wait for a result that may or may not conform with whatever we want or expect.
Why do people get so impatient?
My uncle always reminds me that I cannot control how I feel but I can control how I react towards my feelings. People who don’t have the skill to be aware and be on top of their reactions towards different situations in life can easily get impatient.
Unfortunately, people get stressed out. In this world with so much competition, people who aren’t developing the necessary skills to be determined, strong-willed and “in control”, will eventually burn out and fail.
We can actually find a number of reasons why patience can be very elusive for a lot of people. The good news is, there are also a number of ways we can practice patience so we don’t have to lose out in the world. Today, I will give you 3 sure-fire ways.
- Keep in mind that nobody is perfect. As long as we keep on moving forward, picking ourselves up to try and get better at what we do, will render patience to eventually be easier to find.
Learning to do digital marketing well is difficult for a non-techie, at the least. Practice appreciating the little wins along the way.
People who want change know it takes a lot of time to form a habit. Keep on practicing the shift. It’s ok to fail; just try and try, again. - Know that perspective is key. The way we maneuver through life is a matter of mindset. Each one of us makes a choice to either appreciate the things that are in front of us (whether good or bad) or not.
Impatience when queuing behind a person who’s checking out her cartload of groceries in the supermarket can shift into compassion and patience if we knew how difficult life was for her.
Impatience to get to work when in traffic turns into tolerance if we were driving and chatting away with our best friend. - Remember that patience is a strategy for happiness and peace. Patience brings with it, at least 2 major elements that are necessary to have these life goals last.
Relaxation. A mind full of chaos cannot relax. A happy person is calm, cool, and collected.
Acceptance. We are where we are. Accepting this will allow us to find the necessary ways to get out of any slump.
Patience is a skill; patience is a skill; patience is a skill. It can be learned.
Life can be a total bummer, but if we learn to ride life’s waves despite every wipeout, we’ll eventually reach the shore with our heads above water. Let’s all keep on trying.
For more of Xenia, visit, https://xeniae.com
If you’re struggling with patience, allow Xenia to help you, today. Schedule a complimentary coaching session, at https://calendly.com/xeniae/discovery