Relearning Patience

I am impatient. I am unable to sit still, or relax, or languish in comfort, when I know that there is something left undone. No one in my life, family or friends, would ever use ‘patient’ as an adjective to describe me. My tags, are quite often than not, the antithesis of patient. I’ve been called restless, curious, and active when I was a child. Now, people find me impatient, aggravating and aggressive. This is especially so, when I am holding someone or something, to my personal expectations and levels.

For the longest time, I relished in the fact that I am impatient. To me, being impatient meant that I was unwilling to wait on my laurels, or have someone pander to my needs and wants. Being impatient meant that I was out and about, doing what was necessary to learn, grow and be independent. Patience was associated to procrastination, settling and being easily contented and not reaching one’s true potential. I wasn’t patient because I had results to achieve, places to go to and things to get.

Then, as all things in life that comes full circle, I realised my folly.

Impatience is not directly related to Progress. Neither is patience, to procrastination. With everything, there is a season. Our world is governed by several natural laws, which the dimension of time, cannot be separate. Time, is needed to grow, to progress, to break-through. Even when there is no visible result, no real measurable feeling of improvement, no change or even a seeming drop in results, there is a need to stop trying so hard and allow time to work its magic.

I need to learn to focus on the process. To do what is needed and then let the rest happen naturally.

Learn to wait. Learn to be ok with nothing.

Learn to be patient with life.