The art of being patient is starting to be lost in our society. With technology advancing, we are fueled by instant gratification, which Shaun and I discuss in many posts. Patience is a skill I constantly have to remind myself along with Shaun on a daily basis.
Lately, Shaun and I have been trying to buy some investment properties in the Eau Claire area. For anyone that doesn’t live around here, it is an up and coming city, and real-estate has gone through the roof. It is hard to find good deals on MLS, but sometimes you can find good deals private party. So, for us it has been a waiting game. I will have to remind Shaun often to not rush into a deal, because something better will always come up in the future. He is the type of person that wants everything now and worries that there won’t be a deal down the road.
To get ourselves not to rush into anything, we discuss all of the options at first. We kind of repeat ourselves for the next couple of days. Whenever we first see a deal, it seems like an amazing deal and that we should jump into as soon as possible. Once the rose colored glasses come off, then we are able to really think about what the deal is and break it down. I know, at times it is hard to be able to take a couple of days to think about what is going on, but your mind is able to be more clear after the excitement calms down.
Another way that I struggle with being patient is when I get frustrated. This is the hardest time for me to be patient, but I have been getting better. Whether you are at work or home, there are things that happen that make you upset. The best way that I have found to not blow up on others and be patient is to take deep breaths. Try to do it conspicuously, because other people will still notice you are upset. I also, will tell myself that it is out of my control and there is no reason to get mad when you can’t control it. This reminds me that things will happen and you just have to make the best out of the situation you got.
Here are some other ways to help you become more patient:
1. Practice being patient
2. Figure out why you become impatient
3. Fill your waiting time with something productive
4. Be empathetic
5. Meditate
6. Track your impatience
7. Teach or retrain to prevent the frustration
8. Take a break
9. Accept that you can’t control everything
10. Remember your goals
11. Take your time, patience takes awhile to gain
12. Focus on small wins
13. Don’t feed into instant gratification
Patience is an art form, and it can allow yourself to be in a more positive mindset. Patience will always be a skill that every person will need to be reminded of at some point. Remember, it is okay to lose your patience sometimes, we are all human and have to release. This doesn’t mean you can go yell at someone, but use your friends and support system to vent to about why you are frustrated. Be smart about how you release your frustration when you need to. You can take up boxing, and use that frustration to work harder, or go into the middle of the woods and scream as loud as you can. Find what works for you to release when you need to.
Your Life Tutor
-Sam
Tutors of Life 