“Patience Is A Virtue”
I have always wondered about this saying, and I thought it would be fun to talk to you about it. I love to take things apart, not just physical things but also thoughts and ideas. I think that if I had learned the joy of picking apart an idea when I was in High School I would have made a great debate team member.
Okay so lets start with the patience part. Patience as defined by wikipedia is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negativity. If I look at this definition then I can say that there are many situations where I am patient. I think that we as human beings are constantly looking to improve ourselves and so we are quick to focus on the items of our person that we need to change. When we do this many of us tend to keep our focus on these things that need changing and we loose focus on the things that we have accomplished or that we have improved upon.
When I think of this saying I have to admit to you that I immediately think that I am not a patient person, and that I have a lot of work to do in that department. When I began picking apart the definition I realized that I am patient in many parts of my life, but not at all in others. I can only assume that is the same for most of you. I remember when I first started working on computers corporately, I was talking to one of my co workers and said “I can’t stand waiting for the computer to reboot after an installation” his answer was simple and it sticks with me today.
“This will be a very long and boring career for you if you don’t learn patience”
I have to tell you that I found ways around it. I still hate waiting for the reboot, but I learned never to be stuck working on only one computer at a time. I would always make sure that I had multiple computers on my work bench so that when I had to wait for one of them there was another one I could work on in the meantime.
For me it seems that my issues with patience comes when I am stuck and unable to do anything while “waiting” for something. What is it that tests your patience?
On to the Virtue part. Wikipedia says that Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness. So the saying indicates that patience is good and that it is a trait that is good to have.
Did you know that the opposite of virtue is vice? Many people strive to be more patient in life, and this leads me to wonder about patience in general. Think of the people in your life and think about how patient you think they are. When you think of these people would you say the most patient people are also the most successful? I think this is an interesting question to ask yourself.
Each and every one of us has their own measure for what we think success looks like or what is acceptable when it comes to behaviour or character traits. Our beliefs are usually close to what our parents views are, or organizations (church or state) that we connect ourselves to. It is interesting to understand where these ideas come from and to figure out if your beliefs are in fact the same as what you have been taught your whole life.
A lot of the struggles that we find ourselves facing in our growth are usually connected to our values and traits. When we believe something different than what we have been taught it can cause us to struggle in our lives. Take a moment to think of something you are struggling with, do you have mixed feelings about how you can overcome it? Then think about your parents or someone else in your life who is an authority figure and try to see the problem from their point of view. Do you have a different belief then they do, or have you been taught to look at it differently then you are trying to now? This just might be a big breakthrough for you. It is difficult for us to change our habits and our thought patterns, it can be scary or uncomfortable. These are the exact reasons why you need to look at it and make a change.
This week I want you to think about something that you have been wanting to change for a long time, and think about the values or ideas that are associated with it. Then think about how your ideas about this might be holding you back. Challenge yourself to push past the thoughts that are holding you back.
I will be pushing past the idea that “I am allergic to exercise” I will be walking on the treadmill every day this week. I will keep you updated on Facebook and Twitter – I look forward to hearing about your breakthroughs as well.
