The Benefit of Having Patience

In a world that demands constant movement and progress, it can be difficult to sit back and just let things happen.  There is a great benefit to having patience as much as there is in taking action.  How many times in your life have you found that simply waiting, relaxing, and allowing life to happen has been of great benefit?  Probably everyone has had a situation in which such patience has been beneficial.  We often rush into things and feel the need to do something immediately when in fact, all we really need to do is have a little patience. 

Time heals. We are living in a quick-fix, immediate gratification society where we seldom take into consideration the benefit of long-term fulfillment as opposed to short-term pleasures. 

Say you run into a situation where you seriously offend someone or make a mistake and do someone wrong.  We sometimes will get caught up in wanting to make amends and doing everything we can right now to make the situation better.  However, often all we need to do is have patience and allow the passing of time to heal the wounds and solve the problem.  New situations will arise and unforeseen opportunities will come up that will lead the way to a solution to any previous problem.   

There is no doubt that taking action is important, but we need to balance this imperative with a recognition of the value of patience.  A truly dreadful situation one day can be alleviated by the coming of the next morning’s sunlight.  It is wonderful how much things change from day to day, including our outlook on life and life’s difficulties.  

I recently had an unfortunate situation arise at work that caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety.  There was nothing really I could do about it, but wait for the situation to resolve itself over time.  There was no real action I could take.  After the passing of some time, the situation became more bearable until the reality of my work environment returned to a semblance of normalcy, calm and balance. 

The same goes for personal growth.  It requires some action and direction, but there are numerous cases where our growth and wisdom comes from simply living and existing on a day-to-day basis.  

Three years ago, I took up a meditation habit.  At first, I was bad at it.  I couldn’t relax into it without feeling a restlessness that would not abate.  With time, now three years later, I can genuinely see the benefit of the practice and I am quite a bit better at it now.  I can be more present and patient.  Meditation requires patience and it will in turn, through the practice of it, make you more patient.  

The same goes for exercise.  I have been consistently lifting weights for about a year now.  At first, I didn’t see a difference in my appearance.  Now, I definitely do and I feel more confident and happy as a result.  This and the meditation are examples of the balance that must be forged between taking action and having patience.  

Patience is a remarkable quality to possess.  It helps you enjoy life more and appreciate each passing moment.  You don’t get caught up in the endless need to acquire more and constantly be busy to achieve something.  Striking the delicate balance between taking action and having patience is one of the best skills anyone can have.