Patience Week 3

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience". 

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever noticed that we wait for a vegetable plant to grow from a seed, or a rose bud to open? There is no rushing nature, so this week we focus on how we can learn from nature to be more patient with ourselves. Last week we were asked to notice when we were impatient with ourselves. Possibly there was a pattern to this impatience that we can take small steps to change. Consider that we can grow our will power or even will to live, in our brain, called the anterior cingular cortex, when we learn something new.  Maybe that can be just the motivation to be kinder and gentler with yourself.

I pay attention to how people speak to themselves when they make a mistake, forget something, or are frustrated. There is no smiling, lots of self-degradation, and overall, a sense of impatience. This in turn makes any learning harder and just adds to frustration.

We can go back to the basic strategy of Pause, Breathe, Respond as soon as we feel impatient. Try smiling. laughing at yourself, or shaking it off.

Remember life shouldn't be consumed by impatience, and that we can adopt the pace and beauty of nature.