Friday, February 6, 2015

Patience: Part II

Patience is a lost art. Part of experimentation and art is trying to feel your way around the unknown. The lack of it can be great for spontaneity, but once you get through roughing your work out you need to slow things down and focus enough to work things out. Most of creative work does take patience, in all honesty. You need to be able to slow things down enough to finish your work. Patience may seem like a natural and passive thing, but it is a muscle that needs to be actively developed. If you learn to discipline yourself, you will grow in skill. But if you stay impatient and quit everything when you're bored, you'll constantly be settling for "just good enough" instead of your full potential, then life will never be what you want it to be.


How to Develop It
  • Stay optimistic.
    • Realizing the value in any situation and staying positive will help you relax.
  • Don't assume and don't be afraid.
    • We too often tend to assume the worst, which is many times rarely the truth. At the same time, don't let your fears get the best of you. Barrel through them and give everything your best. Just remember... good things come to those who wait. If you're not willing to wait it out and let the fruits of your labor do their work, then maybe what you think you want isn't what you actually want. If you really want what you need to be patient for, then the wait will make it all the much better.
  • Try to enjoy the ride and be excited by the wait. 
    • Instead of dreading the wait, learn to live it out. You don't know how long the ride will take and by the time you get what you want, you don't know if your life will be done by then or how long the moment will last if it will last at all. Enjoy the learning experiences and don't forget the journey is most of the fun, so learn to enjoy it a little.
  • Don't ever EVER give up.
    • Quitters never win and winners never quit. That is... unless you're quitting drugs or some kind of terrible addiction. In that case, quitters always win.
 
The Benefits of Developing Patience
  • Reduces stress levels and produces a happier and longer life.
    •  Anxious people are sick the most, are the most stressed, and forget to breathe throughout life instead of smell the roses. Don't be that person.
  • Results in better decision-making and less mistakes.
    • Impulsive behavior creates stupid mistakes and decisions that will often times repeat themselves if you don't slow down and use that brain of yours.
  • Helps you develop understanding, empathy, and compassion.
    • In tough situations, you are able to put yourself in other peoples' shoes. This allows you to think more clearly and be able to be there for other people and/or be the bigger (wo)man.
  • It gives you an advantage.
    • While other people freak out, you are calm and collected. How badass is that?!
  • Helps you appreciate the journey. 
    •  With hard work comes great reward. Fortune cookies tell the truth.
  • Creates success.
    • Behind every "overnight success" is 15 years of success, or so the saying goes. Successful people work hard and practice steady patience to develop their skills/knowledge and climb the ladder. There are no shortcuts in the big leagues. You have to be willing to go the extra mile to get what you want.



Some Practice Exercises 
  • Practice thinking before you speak.
    • Blurting out creates mistakes and regrets. More often than not you burn bridges this way, but be warned... you have to go back over those bridges many times through life. Thinking before you speak=more relationships. You might even hate the person, but everybody goes through bad days and some people are miserable people. So take the high road.
  • Practice delaying gratification.
    • Try gardening. You get to work with your hands, be out in nature, and breathe some fresh air. It also teaches you to take the time and enjoy caring for something that will not show itself right away.
  • Try to slow things down.
    • Reading is a great helping tool, and I'm not talking about the Internet. Crack open an old-fashioned book. Reading through the entire thing takes time... and patience. It is also enormously enjoyable. So go for it. Slow things down and enjoy the damn thing.
    • Unplug from social media and the computer when you can. I get that our society basically runs on social media, I even do it for a living, but set apart a time every day to unplug and unwind. It will help yourself focus.
    • Meditation is immensely popular and incredibly helpful. Try it sometime with some candles, smooth sounds, and an otherwise quiet space. It will help you unwind.
    • Yoga is a great combination of exercise and meditation. You are also able to sweat out all of the bad toxins and anxieties in the process.
  • Try to pick something to better in patience every single day.
    • Make every day a little bit better and a little bit more progressive than the previous one, even if it's by one tiny step.

References
Random Art Work of Mine
Some sketches of my living room I did this week.


 
 

As always, comments are welcome. Follow me if you enjoy the blog. Until next time, night all!

-S



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