It’s unlikely you’ve gotten through life to this point without hearing the famous proverbial saying “patience is a virtue.” Patience is one of the most absolute important qualities to possess, for reasons which I’ll touch on momentarily. But is being patient easy? Certainly not. When you’re waiting in the line at Starbucks and you’re not sure if the person in front of you is ordering coffee or reciting a dissertation, it’s likely that impatience is getting the best of you. It’s simply in our nature as humans that we want what we want, and we want it now. But how does that inherent impatience negatively impact our lives? There are endless scenarios I could use to exemplify the importance of patience, so I’ll stick to some that I see quite often pertaining to fitness, finance, and love.

It’s a Tuesday morning, and you’ve just woken up. After over-indulging at your best friend’s dinner party Sunday night, you made a vow to never touch unhealthy food again. You walk to the bathroom and step on the scale, eager to see the number… and you’re down a tenth of a pound. You can’t help but think to yourself, “why do I even bother?” Many people have health and fitness goals, but far too many quit trying after being discouraged by the number on the scale. We don’t lose weight or build muscle overnight, and its unrealistic of us to expect that from ourselves. The next time you feel like you’re making little to no progress, broaden your field of view a little bit. In ten days, that tenth of a pound could very well be a whole pound! Keep up the progress, and you’ll be shedding pounds in no time. It’s the same concept while building muscle: you may look at your arms and think you’ll simply be skin and bones forever. Fear not, the building of muscle takes time, and with patience and persistence, you’ll start seeing results in due time.

How about this scenario? You’re living paycheck to paycheck, barely scraping by. You know you need a second job, but no one is calling you regarding any of the applications you’ve submitted. You begin to feel anxious, frantic, and dismal, thinking there’s no way you’ll be able to survive. This scenario differs a bit from scenario one, as this one is being patient with necessities such as eating and rent as opposed to personal preference such as cosmetic appearance. That being said, you should approach the situation with as much patience as you would the first. Attack the situation with a sense of urgency at heart, coupled with a patient mind. Submit every application with an “I’m going to get this job today” mentality, but have an understanding that even if you don’t get that call today or tomorrow, you will soon. It’s important to realize that you need to approach every situation within your control as passionately as possible, but face variables outside your control with patience and faith. Some problems need to be left up to the grace and control of God.

Another example (and my final example for the day) of situations we’re impatient with are those pertaining to love. Many of us aren’t content with living life as a single, and many are “hopelessly” crushing on someone who may be unavailable. Frustrating? Definitely. I get it. But what I’ve found through observation and experience is that you find love when you least expect it. If you let searching for “Mr./Mrs. Right” take over, you’ll ruin your chances of actually finding him/her. You may have a pretty good idea of the kind of person you want to end up with, but odds are you won’t be able to know whether or not someone meets those standards by momentarily locking eyes with them across the coffee shop. It takes a long time of getting to know someone and how they react in various situations to truly fall in love with who they are. More often than not, you’ll meet that person by chance and not because you’ve been hopelessly stalking their every move on social media for months. Sometimes taking a step back and letting the right person fall into your lap is the best way to approach things. This allows a relationship to develop purely and organically, quite similar to the way things develop in nature (what a coincidence).

Learning to be patient isn’t easy, but it’s definitely worth it. Next time you’re being impatient, or getting worked up about something that’s out of your control, take a step back and a deep breath. You’re more than likely blowing the situation out of proportion which makes it far more difficult to resolve. Take calm and controlled baby steps, and remember there’s very little in life that can’t be accomplished with patience and perseverance.

“I believe that a trusting attitude and a patient attitude go hand in hand. You see, when you let go and learn to trust God, it releases joy in your life. And when you trust God, you’re able to be more patient. Patience is not just about waiting for something… it’s about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.” -Joyce Meyer

 

PHOTO BY JAMES HAMILTON