Patience – A Virtue No One Wants To Wait On

Patience is something I believe we all say we have but then get too impatient when things don’t go how we want them to and either settle or make irrational decisions. I’m not one for sitting around waiting for things to magically get better, but I do think that sometimes we jump to conclusions and forget to think about the consequences of our actions. I’ve realized that if I give things a little more time, they will almost always work themselves out. It’s like this universal natural order where things expand and contract but eventually will reach equilibrium if left alone.

Patience is about tolerating delay. If our job isn’t what we thought it would be, maybe we need to give it a little more time before we just quit it for another one. I like to think of the beginning of everything as the “honeymoon stage”; where everything is great for the first couple of weeks or months, and then you start realizing it isn’t what your expectations were.

If something is harmful or unhealthy then definitely don’t wait for anything, get out of there! But I’ve seen so many people who try something, immediately jump to some conclusion that everything is wrong, and when the first lifeboat hits the water, they jump right in and sail away.

They say good things come to those who wait; I also like to believe that good things come to good people. We have to give things a chance. We have to realize that every good and every bad is only a temporary feeling. If your day isn’t what you thought, just be patient, tomorrow might be the best day of your life; but don’t just run off or quit something because it didn’t go as planned. At least try your best and give it some time and effort.

It’s rare when things we expected to happen actually do and I’m starting to think if we actually had some patience we would soon find what we were hoping for. Everyone is in a rush and no one wants to slow down and look at themselves. Just have patience; things tend to fall into place even in the worst situations.

So when life gets you down, just take some time to sit back and relax. Once you hit rock bottom you can only go up; it just takes time.

- M.

We Can Only Fall As Far As We Allow Ourselves To

Recently it’s been a great discovery to realize perception is everything. To quote Shakespeare, “There is no good nor bad but thinking makes it so”. How can someone wake up one morning and immediately be in a crummy mood when yesterday they woke up and everything was fine?

We allow ourselves a one-way ticket into the subconscious. Our sadness and regrets are locked away here yet still control the outside world; sometimes without us even being aware. On most occasions we think about the “what ifs?” (future) and the “what was” (past) and rarely take the time for the “what is” (which is now).

It seems the best advice I’ve ever received on how to relieve stress and how to live a joyful life, is to live in the present. How can you not live in the present?? We’re here right now aren’t we? It’s easy to physically live here, there really is no other way, but our minds are very crafty and sometimes without our knowledge we drift into the past and into our future worries.

Stop, ask yourself “Am I here right now?” and you might realize you were daydreaming. Don’t let this be some habitual mind curse that hinders your day; we are in full control of our minds.

Remember that our minds are much more powerful than our problems. You have to recognize the issue, accept a change is needed, brainstorm solutions, and then act on them. Eventually there will be much progress in your overall happiness.

If this all sounds ridiculous, then it’s only because you haven’t tried it. I think most people are afraid to resolve their problems. No one wants to really relive bad times. But when we push everything aside, we relive our problems every minute of everyday, without even knowing.

It depends how badly you want to find peace with yourself.

- M.

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

No one enjoys the feeling of having to go through something alone. Even when people are there to comfort…you still can’t help but feel alone at times.

This Bible verse has really helped me recently. I’ve realized that there is never a morning I wake up alone, there is never a time that I mourn alone, and there is never a moment I spend alone. If I wasn’t talking spiritually then I’m sure this would be very creepy. But to anyone else who understands what I mean, it can be an amazing feeling. Sometimes mourning can bring you the greatest comfort of all.

I’ve had to spend time by myself…truly by myself in somewhat isolation to really understand the kind of person I am; and more importantly, the kind of person I want to be. I’ve found that when you are so scared to spend time alone, then there is something wrong.

Loneliness should be a sign that we’ve neglected ourselves; as if we’ve forgotten a long lost friend in a way. Sometimes we will have to be alone and it is important to know that we don’t dread that day.

It’s important not to bottle up your emotions. The healthy way to release is to accept who you are and your problems; allow all your shame, guilt, regret, etc. to be accepted, in a way embrace it, and then let it all out and keep moving. When you push things away and don’t handle your problems head on they will always come back and revisit. Instead of prolonging heartache, it’s much easier to get it over with and start living a healthy lifestyle.

You will see an improvement on your stress, sleep, friendships, relationships, and your overall attitude towards life.

- M.