BY JEFF CORBETT
A friend of mine was driving in morning traffic in downtown Charlotte. As she approached a fast-changing stoplight, she screeched to a halt just as it turned red.
The sudden stop caused her car to stall, and as she made multiple attempts to start it again, the light turned green once more. A delivery truck driver right behind her started honking his horn.
The harder she tried to start her car, the less successful she was, and the honking became more frantic.
Exasperated, she got out of her car, walked back to the driver of the truck, and said, “Listen, if you’ll go start my car, I’ll stay back here and honk the horn.”
Patience is Difficult
We live in a world of immediate gratification. We want it NOW, and we want it our way.
Like the sign in the jewelry store window promises: “Ears Pierced While You Wait.” I mean, what’s your other option?
Cultivating patience is SO hard to do, and one reason we struggle with this is we have an inflated sense of self-importance. We stand in line and think, “I’m way busier or better than these folks, so I shouldn’t have to wait.”
The next time you get stuck behind a stalled car, or are forced to wait longer than you want, take that as an opportunity to calm your brain, to realize that this is real life, and if you choose to stress over it, you’re wasting your valuable energy on something that won’t matter a week from now.
As the old saying goes, “God always teaches us patience when we do not have time for the lesson.”
Be Proactive
When your mind is preoccupied, patience is much more bearable. The next time you are going into a situation where you may have to wait (think doctor’s office or the DMV), be prepared. Take your phone, a book, or a magazine.
An added plus is that these items can keep the annoying person sitting beside you in that crowded waiting room from trying to make conversation with you. Let some less-prepared soul take that hit.
Sweet Anticipation
A tragic casualty of our instant-everything lifestyle is the loss of anticipation.
The longest hour in the world is enduring the heavenly smell of a made-from-scratch apple pie baking in the oven and knowing you can’t touch it until it’s golden-brown, juicy, and ready.
Do you recall as a kid how it took forever for Christmas to finally arrive? Do you remember how a layaway plan made your merchandise seem much sweeter when you finally paid off your balance and held your treasure?
Today it’s whip-out-the-plastic and charge-it-right-now. Patience and anticipation team up to produce greater pleasure and appreciation for things, people, and life. Practice both daily!
So What to Do?
How do you become a person of patience?
The first step is up in your head. It’s about adopting a new mentality, a new way of thinking, a fresh perspective. Cease seeing yourself as the center of the universe.
The only thing you are truly in control over is your corner of the world. So do the best you possibly can, then say no to all the drama and the stress, and enjoy your life.
Second, accept the reality that delays and snafus will happen, and life will throw surprises at you. The only thing you can totally control is how you react to it.
If you fret or have a hissy-fit, you’re just wasting precious mental energy that could be spent on something a lot more productive and enjoyable.
Third, see these times of waiting and delays as gifts, as reminders that life is lived in moments and for you to enjoy every one, including this one. It’s all in what you make it.
Fourth, realize that one day, at some point, in some way, you and the rest of us will be old, impaired, or needy. When it is your turn, you will be so grateful to those who take the extra time and patience to understand and help you and to see you as a human being and not as an inconvenience.
In the march of life, compassion and patience are our steady companions, softening the road’s sharp stones and turning each delay into a lesson of grace.
Patience is like a bridge. It connects the present moment to the future we hope for. Without it, we’re stranded in frustration; with it, we walk steadily toward growth.
Arnold H. Glasow tells us “The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.”
Who controls you? The outside world or yourself? You decide.
True patience will change your life. Try it, starting today!
Jeff Corbett is an experienced public speaker, meeting facilitator and sales and marketing professional. He lives in Statesville. He can be reached at jeff@speak-well.com.