It’s hard to be patient in the technology driven world we live in where everything is at our fingertips with the click of a button. Read on for 5 simple steps to becoming more patient.
I know. I know. I promised a breathing technique to de-stress today on Mindful Monday. But I was being mindful of my sleeping beauty boyfriend who’s been out of commission with a viral infection all weekend. I didn’t want to wake him by shooting a video so alas, I take to the keyboard. Next Monday, I’ll hit ya with the breathing.
I struggle with patience A LOT. As a naturally achievement/accomplishment-oriented gal, I like to get shit done. And I like to get shit done right now (pardon my french). Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. As in ain’t gonna wait.
So I struggle when things take longer than I’d like them to. Like starting my own business. I wanted to launch my website, have a handful of clients, make decent money, find work/life balance, oh and have my cake and eat it too all in one day. Okay maybe not one day. But two. Tops.
For reals though. Starting my own business was a HUGE test of my patience. Because building a business takes time. And building a successful business takes even more time. And I found myself with my eyes on the prize (the end goal) rather than enjoying the process along the way.
How many of you reach for the destination instead of enjoying the journey?
And the way we live our lives today doesn’t help matters on the patience front. We’ve got everything at our fingertips (thank you, Google). But our reliance on technology has set our expectations high. We expect things to happen quickly. And we’re constantly distracted, being bombarded with emails and texts and pop-ups and notifications. We’re always multitasking x100 and shifting our focus from one thing to the next.
This ain’t helping.
So, how do work on getting our patience back? Try out these 5 simple steps:
1. Practice waiting.
Practice makes perfect, right? Get used to waiting again. That’s right. Choose the longest checkout line at the grocery store. Walk into the bank and wait in line rather than choosing the ATM drive-thru. The more you practice waiting, the more you’ll be more equipped to practice patience in real-life situations.
2. Learn to let go.
Whatever is troubling you or making you feel rushed or stressed, learn to let it go. That girl in Frozen had it right. Rather than harp on whatever is troubling or aggravating and focusing on it to make it bigger, let it go. Move on. Letting it go will make it smaller and nonsignificant.
3. Be aware of what is making you feel impatient.
Be mindful of your triggers. What makes you feel rushed? What makes you feel frustrated or short-tempered? Write it all down. The act of writing it down is a good mindfulness exercise to help calm the mind. But identifying those triggers will also help you manage your patience level.
4. Practice breathing.
If at anytime you feel overwhelmed, you can always come back to the breath to ground yourself. Taking 5 minutes to practice deep breathing will help calm the nervous system and divert your attention away from whatever is troubling you.
5. Enjoy the journey.
A big goal takes time to achieve. So break down that massive goal into smaller goals/tasks and reward yourself for each step along the way. This will help you to enjoy the process, live in the moment, and give gratitude toward the journey.
Tell me, how do you work on becoming more patient?
Always appreciated…now more than ever this time of year 🙂 xo
Thanks, Frances. With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it can be more challenging than ever to remain calm, cool, and collected. xo
I am not a patient person, especially with my kids. They know how to push the buttons.
I don’t have kids yet but I brought this up to my boyfriend last night after I saw kids as a common thread in the comments here that I think keeping my patience will be a big challenge for me when I do decide to have kids.
I know what you mean by always wanting to get shit done. Sometimes I just spring out of bed in the morning, super motivated to check off all the tasks on my to do list- the result? I forget to slow down, breathe, and enjoy myself! And yes, sometimes I get impatient and grumpy along the way… Love all these tips, and will try to be more mindful the next time I get impatient 😛
Thanks for sharing, Genevieve. Nice to know that you can relate. I’m a chronic to-do lister too and take great accomplishment in checking things off the list. I had a life coach that encouraged me to add things to my to-do list that would help me connect more to my values – like meeting a friend for lunch, calling my Mom, going to yoga, reading a favorite book, etc. This definitely helped me enjoy the journey a bit more (and I still got to cross things off the to-do list!). 🙂
Being patient is definitely (and always will be) a struggle for me!
Preach! Something so many of us can relate to!
Such important points! I’ve started counting when I get impatient. Not only does it distract me, but usually my wait is over by the time I get to 10-20 seconds. It’s a wake-up call that most everyday kinds of waiting (in line for the grocery store, on hold with customer service) actually take much less time than we think. I also do this with my children when I’m impatient that they’re not getting their shoes on or getting out of the car. I figure if I can’t wait 10 seconds for someone, the problem is MINE not theirs. 🙂
Ooooo I love the idea of counting! I’ll sometimes count backwards if I’m having trouble sleeping at night so I can see how counting during times of tested patience can work well too! Thanks for sharing – I’m going to start practicing this too.
When I first saw your post I was thinking about my lack of patience with my kids recently, but this has me thinking about patience when it comes to growing my business. Different challenges, but both areas I need to work on. For the former, I try to close my eyes and breathe when I’m about to lose it – sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but at least I try!!
I can imagine that once I have kids, this will be another area where my patience is tested :). I love that you practice deep breathing and that you keep at it! Even if it doesn’t ALWAYS work. All you can do is keep trying!
I struggle with letting things go a bit more often than I’d like. I can tell myself it’s no big deal, to shake it off, but I go back to it almost always. I am still working on this and keep reminding myself there’s no need to dwell! Breathing always helps me in so many ways. Thanks for another great MM!!
Thanks, Alanna! Letting things go is a struggle for me too – I literally will sing the Frozen song “Let It Go” out loud sometimes to remind myself to let things go. #nojoke
I love these Mindful Monday posts! I can definitely relate to finding patience in building a business. I find taking time for a SLOW (not rushed) morning routine helps me bring patience to the rest of my day. If not, I just feel chaotic all day.
Thanks, Lauren! Love that your slow morning routine helps set the stage for practicing patience throughout the rest of your day. That’s awesome!
I really relate with this post. I want things done now too (especially finishing my DI). I think it’s a great idea to be mindful of things that make me impatient and write them down. I’m going to try that!
Congrats on finishing up your DI, Natalie! I can totally understand how you could just want for that to be over to move onto getting your RD! Hopefully by writing your triggers down, you can work on appreciating the journey and giving credit where credit’s due along the way.
Thank you Kara, this couldn’t have been more timely. The holidays definitely make me impatient, and then it’s over and I realize that I’ve missed so much because I didn’t enjoy the journey. And, as a new year approaches this is advice that I can go back to as I patiently wait for my blog to go where I want it to. It’s approaching its one year anniversary and even though I think it’s grown at a good pace for its first year, I want more, right now. Yep, I really needed to read this. Thank you so much!
Thank YOU for sharing, Linda! Glad you found it to be timely. Congrats on approaching your one year anniversary!!
I love love love this post Kara! I can relate to it on every level. I’m trying #1 when I go back for the holidays 😉 such a good idea!
Thanks, Shawn! Definitely a topic a lot of people can relate to. Let me know how practicing waiting goes over for you!