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15 Tips for Becoming as Patient as Job

“Patience and fortitude conquer all things.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the Old Testament, the story of Job showed a very faithful man whose faith is put to test, and shows an extreme example of perseverance through suffering … but in my mind, whenever I read Job’s story, I am struck by the man’s supreme patience.

While living a very faithful and righteous life, he nevertheless endured one infliction after another without ever cursing God’s name. I think most of us would have lost our patience and become frustrated and angry much earlier in the story.

While Job’s patience is legendary, I believe that even the most impatient of us can learn to be more patient with practice.

Personally, patience is something I’ve been cultivating for a long time. And while I often fail, I believe I’ve progressed over the years, and things that used to get me hot and bothered now just float past me. I still get upset, of course, but not nearly as much as I used to.

Here are some tips that might help you become more patient, with practice:

Tally marks. This is the first strategy, if you have real problems with patience: start by simply keeping tally marks on a little sheet of paper every time you lose your patience. This is one of the most effective and important methods for controlling an impulse — by learning to become more aware of it. Once you become aware of your impulses, you can work out an alternative reaction.
Figure out your triggers. As you become more aware of losing your patience, pay close attention to the things that trigger you to lose that patience. Is it when your co-worker does something particularly irritating? When your spouse leaves dirty dishes in the sink? When your child doesn’t clean up her mess? Certain triggers will recur more frequently than others — these are the things you should focus on the most.
Deep breaths. When you first start to lose your patience, take a deep breath, and breathe out slowly. Then take another. And another. These three breaths will often do the trick, as your frustration will slowly melt away.
Count to 10. This one really works. When you feel yourself getting frustrated or angry, stop. Count slowly to 10 (you can do this in your head). When you’re done, most of the initial impulse to yell or do something out of frustation will go away. Combine this with the breathing tip for even more effectiveness.
Start small. Don’t try to become as patient as Job overnight. It won’t happen. Start with something small and manageable. Look for a trigger that only induces a mild impatience within you — not something that gets your blood boiling. Then focus on this, and forget the other triggers for now. Work on controlling your temper for that one trigger. If you can get this one under control, use what you learned to focus on the next small trigger. One at a time, and with practice, you’ll get there.
Take a time out. Often it’s best just to walk away for a few minutes. Take a break from the situation, just for 5-10 minutes, let yourself calm down, plan out your words and actions and solution, and then come back calm as a monk.
Remember what’s important. Sometimes we tend to get upset over little things. In the long run, these things tend not to matter, but in the heat of the moment, we might forget this. Stop yourself, and try to get things in perspective.
Keep practicing. Every time a situation stretches your patience to dangerous thinness, just think of it as an opportunity to practice your patience. Because that’s what it take to become patient — practice, practice, more practice, and even more practice. And then some more. And the more you practice, the better you’ll get. So cherish these wonderful opportunities to practice.
Visualize. This works best if you do it before the frustrating situation comes up. When you’re alone and in a quiet place. Visualize how you want to react the next time your trigger happens. How do you handle the situation? How do you look? What do you say? How does the other person react? How does it help your relationship, your life? Think about all these things, visualize the perfect situation, and then try to actually make that happen when the situation actually comes up.
Remember that things can take time. Nothing good happens right away. If you expect things to happen at the snap of your fingers, you’ll get impatient every time. Instead, realize that things will take time, and this realization can help your patience tremendously.
Teach. This is something that helps me a lot. I remember that no one is perfect, and that everyone has a lot to learn. Be patient, and teach others how to do things — even if you’ve tried before, it might be the 11th time when things click. And remember, none of us learn things on the first try. Find new ways to teach something, and you’re more likely to be successful.
Find healthy ways to relieve frustration. Frustration can build up like steam in a pressure cooker, and if you don’t relieve that steam, you’ll explode. So find ways to relieve that frustration in a healthy way. Punching a pillow, going outside to a place where you’re all alone and yelling, exercise, kickboxing … these are just a few examples. Once you get that frustration out of your system, you usually feel better.
Try meditation. You can’t meditate in the middle of a frustrating situation, usually, but often meditation can help you to learn to find a center of calm within yourself. Once you learn how to go to this calm place, you can go there when you begin to get angry. Meditation can also help you to be in the moment, instead of always wanting to get to the future, or instead of dwelling on the past and getting angry about it.
Just laugh. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that no one is perfect, that we should be enjoying this time with our loved ones, and that life should be fun — and funny. Smile, laugh, be happy. Doesn’t always work, but it’s good to remind yourself of this now and then.
Just love. Instead of reacting with anger, teach yourself to react with love. Your child spills something or has a messy room or breaks your family heirloom? Your spouse yells at you or is cranky after work? React with love. It’s the best solution.

“Genius is eternal patience.” - Michelangelo

—
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

15 Tips for Becoming as Patient as Job

“Patience and fortitude conquer all things.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

While Job’s patience is legendary, I believe that even the most impatient of us can learn to be more patient with practice.

Here are some tips that might help you become more patient, with practice:

Tally marks. This is the first strategy, if you have real problems with patience: start by simply keeping tally marks on a little sheet of paper every time you lose your patience. This is one of the most effective and important methods for controlling an impulse — by learning to become more aware of it. Once you become aware of your impulses, you can work out an alternative reaction.
Figure out your triggers. As you become more aware of losing your patience, pay close attention to the things that trigger you to lose that patience. Is it when your co-worker does something particularly irritating? When your spouse leaves dirty dishes in the sink? When your child doesn’t clean up her mess? Certain triggers will recur more frequently than others — these are the things you should focus on the most.
Deep breaths. When you first start to lose your patience, take a deep breath, and breathe out slowly. Then take another. And another. These three breaths will often do the trick, as your frustration will slowly melt away.
Count to 10. This one really works. When you feel yourself getting frustrated or angry, stop. Count slowly to 10 (you can do this in your head). When you’re done, most of the initial impulse to yell or do something out of frustation will go away. Combine this with the breathing tip for even more effectiveness.
Start small. Don’t try to become as patient as Job overnight. It won’t happen. Start with something small and manageable. Look for a trigger that only induces a mild impatience within you — not something that gets your blood boiling. Then focus on this, and forget the other triggers for now. Work on controlling your temper for that one trigger. If you can get this one under control, use what you learned to focus on the next small trigger. One at a time, and with practice, you’ll get there.
Take a time out. Often it’s best just to walk away for a few minutes. Take a break from the situation, just for 5-10 minutes, let yourself calm down, plan out your words and actions and solution, and then come back calm as a monk.
Remember what’s important. Sometimes we tend to get upset over little things. In the long run, these things tend not to matter, but in the heat of the moment, we might forget this. Stop yourself, and try to get things in perspective.
Keep practicing. Every time a situation stretches your patience to dangerous thinness, just think of it as an opportunity to practice your patience. Because that’s what it take to become patient — practice, practice, more practice, and even more practice. And then some more. And the more you practice, the better you’ll get. So cherish these wonderful opportunities to practice.
Visualize. This works best if you do it before the frustrating situation comes up. When you’re alone and in a quiet place. Visualize how you want to react the next time your trigger happens. How do you handle the situation? How do you look? What do you say? How does the other person react? How does it help your relationship, your life? Think about all these things, visualize the perfect situation, and then try to actually make that happen when the situation actually comes up.
Remember that things can take time. Nothing good happens right away. If you expect things to happen at the snap of your fingers, you’ll get impatient every time. Instead, realize that things will take time, and this realization can help your patience tremendously.
Teach. This is something that helps me a lot. I remember that no one is perfect, and that everyone has a lot to learn. Be patient, and teach others how to do things — even if you’ve tried before, it might be the 11th time when things click. And remember, none of us learn things on the first try. Find new ways to teach something, and you’re more likely to be successful.
Find healthy ways to relieve frustration. Frustration can build up like steam in a pressure cooker, and if you don’t relieve that steam, you’ll explode. So find ways to relieve that frustration in a healthy way. Punching a pillow, going outside to a place where you’re all alone and yelling, exercise, kickboxing … these are just a few examples. Once you get that frustration out of your system, you usually feel better.
Try meditation. You can’t meditate in the middle of a frustrating situation, usually, but often meditation can help you to learn to find a center of calm within yourself. Once you learn how to go to this calm place, you can go there when you begin to get angry. Meditation can also help you to be in the moment, instead of always wanting to get to the future, or instead of dwelling on the past and getting angry about it.
Just laugh. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that no one is perfect, that we should be enjoying this time with our loved ones, and that life should be fun — and funny. Smile, laugh, be happy. Doesn’t always work, but it’s good to remind yourself of this now and then.
Just love. Instead of reacting with anger, teach yourself to react with love. Your child spills something or has a messy room or breaks your family heirloom? Your spouse yells at you or is cranky after work? React with love. It’s the best solution.

“Genius is eternal patience.” - Michelangelo

—
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

Posted on 6 July 2008 in Habits, Happiness |
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Comments (51)

Shilpan | successsoul.com Says:

July 6th, 2008, 20:54 pm

#6, 8 and 12 are my favorite ways to build patience. Patience is a virtue worth learning. I’ve often found that meditation alone has helped me rejuvenate and affirm my faith in increasing patience that most of the time rewarded me with a success.

Shilpan

I have Zen Fever! Says:

July 6th, 2008, 20:55 pm

Yes, Leo this is a awesome web site! I come First thing each Morning! to read it. I read the Organizing, Productiveity tips, and more. the only thing I don’t read is when you talk about Runnig. I walk but I don’t go running. Then I read the Comment section. Keep up the good work.

Jarrod - Warrior Development Says:

July 6th, 2008, 21:14 pm

#1, #2 and #8 I find really important. Practicing all of the time is the only way for real progress.

Points 1 and 2 lead onto what I consider most important. One is the ability to observe what is going on inside yourself, monitoring your thoughts and emotions. The other is that it enables you to see what really causes you to lose patience.

When we get caught in a thought or emotion we lose our patience(and our peace). It is the thought/emotion that causes our lose of patience, not the external world even if it was triggered by them.

Karen Zara Says:

July 6th, 2008, 21:22 pm

What I like about this article, besides the precious tips themselves, is the fact that many of them can be linked to each other and work together to help one control her impatience. For instance, when you can’t walk away from the situation that makes you angry (as suggested in tip #6), you can easily apply tips #3 and #4 (and perhaps #14, if the situation permitis) to tame the first symptoms of anger. :)

lovethisstuff Says:

July 6th, 2008, 21:35 pm

Any advice on how to teach patience? There’s a person I love very much, but she has low patience and often it leads to arguments or bad moods. Any tips would be helpful.

Corey - Simple Marriage Project Says:

July 6th, 2008, 21:42 pm

Just love, just laugh. Great tips. Helps to keep a better perspective on everything by doing these two things.

Shanel Yang Says:

July 6th, 2008, 21:44 pm

Losing one’s patience or temper is the first step to anger problems. It’s a great idea to nip it in the bud whenever you can. Even the most naturally calm personalities who have been forced to live in stressful families or work environments can bring out the worst in us. When that happens, we need to look for ways to deal more directly with our anger problems.

I explain how we can do that in “Easy Anger Management” at http://shanelyang.com/2008/06/07/easy-anger-management/

Leo also makes a great point about laughter being a good way to alleviate impatience or anger. It’s also an almost miraculous way to combat stress and a myriad of related serious health problems. I wrote about that in my post “Laughter Is Great Medicine” and also list 100 of the funniest movies you could rent to help you laugh your way to better health at http://shanelyang.com/2008/05/16/laughter-is-great-medicine-100-funny-movies/

Thanks for another great post, Leo!

Marc and Angel Hack Life Says:

July 6th, 2008, 21:49 pm

When someone is testing your patients, look for a way to relate to them. Figure out there their mind is. It’ll help the two of you get on the same page and make it a whole lot easier get over the hump.

Liara Covert Says:

July 6th, 2008, 21:52 pm

Patience is the ability to wait forever and a day for the revelations or wisdom to make life more meaningful.

Amanda Linehan Says:

July 6th, 2008, 21:56 pm

I think the main reason for my impatience is wanting things to happen faster than the pace they are going ( #10). However, sometimes things work out even better than you hoped when you don’t force or rush things to happen, but wait for the right time to act.

SpaceAgeSage Says:

July 6th, 2008, 22:03 pm

I would add:

1) Really embrace the value of patience. Seek it as a valuable treasure.
2) Let go of expectations and let people be themselves. Free them from judgment.
3) Develop the ability to handle disappointment well. Learn the art of poise and composure.
4) Release from unhealthy entitlements. Life is not about what we think we are owed.
5) Become more grateful. Grace and mercy are also good virtues to embrace to increase our patience.
6) Understand inner strength often increases under adversity. See challenges as teachers.

I have learned these through caretaking my mom, who has early Alzheimer’s and some major short-term memory loss. I know she can’t help her condition, so getting impatient only makes both our lives worse. Impatience is that way. That’s why I say seek it like a treasure.

Bod Says:

July 6th, 2008, 22:26 pm

I would add something about “just move away slowly from the keyboard and keep your hands in plain sight”

The majority of my work troubles have come from firing off an email response. Just say no! Do Not Response Immediately!!!

Zendad Says:

July 6th, 2008, 22:34 pm

Elaborating on the visualization, I like to visualize how I am being viewed from say my child’s eyes when I lose my patience. I find most times I must look like a kook, that keeps me from “losing it”.
http://www.zendad.net

pat Says:

July 6th, 2008, 22:40 pm

I loved this post. I’m so happy that you’ve taken the time to write this blog. Your posts in the past has done a lot to change me, and no doubt, this one will too.

Raj Says:

July 6th, 2008, 23:09 pm

Whenever I read Job’s story, I’m struck at the cruelty of God.

Better to spend your time reading Hitchens - God is Not Great - or the God Delusion.

Devan Says:

July 6th, 2008, 23:53 pm

One thing that I find helps me a lot is that 90% of my impatience and frustration is caused by things internal to me. It is always about how I perceive and interpret those external situations.

Once I realised that I was in control of my reactions and could choose my response, I find that I am far more relaxed in situations that would have me blowing my stack in the past.

I urge everyone to stop next time they are just about to ‘loose it’ and see what emotions are brewing inside yourself and what thoughts are going through your head at the moment which is causing this reaction.

Devan

Emma Says:

July 7th, 2008, 2:22 am

I have a question. What happens when something difficult tests your patience? A hard book you have to understand or a report for work you can’t seem to get right. I tend to get frustrated, impatient, and discouraged - and since it’s mandatory that I complete the task, I get depressed. Any tips for patience when you’re not comfortable with the difficulty level?

Ulla Says:

July 7th, 2008, 2:24 am

Thanks for the post. Sometimes it helps me to think about “Now, how important is this in my life?” For example when the computer system doesn’t do what I expect it do to, my first urge is to get very impatient. And then I think: Has the world broken down? Has something bad happenend to me? No. It helps a lot.

Alex Fayle Says:

July 7th, 2008, 3:01 am

I find that I become much more patient when I live in the moment. It’s when I start living in the future that I get impatient for things to happen, and then I start comparing the present to the future (or to expectations) and they never match and I become impatient.

When I start feeling that frustration building I centre myself and focus on the moment (usually. Sometimes I let myself have a meltdown).

Cheers,
Alex

anne Says:

July 7th, 2008, 3:16 am

Thanks for another great post. I really enjoyed this one.

It seems that Raj hasn’t got a very good grasp of the story to react as he does. Perhaps a more thorough examination would help him.

david h Says:

July 7th, 2008, 4:24 am

Emma: You’re not alone on that one. What I’ve been trying lately when I get that feeling of overwhelm and frustration is to just sit and breathe through it. I try to just allow the frustration to hit me and pass through me while really feeling it, and often it’s not too long before it fades. It’s not that easy, I know - I’m not perfect at it. But I think this idea of accepting it is quite central. And if a task really is too difficult, accept that and start a little bit lower, moving up gradually.

Oh, and yeah, have patience with yourself as well!

Joe | A New Band A Day Says:

July 7th, 2008, 5:09 am

Staying calm can be tough, it’s something that has to be worked at - for some people, at least. It can be really easy to get in a rut, so I find daily meditation helps just to refocus back to normality. But laughter just trumps all of it. LOL ‘n’ ROFL for mental health!

Joe - http://www.anewbandaday.com

Jeff Says:

July 7th, 2008, 7:41 am

What’s with the “Free Online Porn” ad just to the right of this Patience aritcle? That I was really enjoying, until my attention was drawn to “graphic” in the ad.

Sort of ruins the effect - or is dealing with the annoying ad part of the practice, practice and more practice that you mentioned?

Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:

July 7th, 2008, 8:34 am

Numbers 7 and 14 are the most important for me.

“Another important lesson I learned in life is all about priorities. I’ve found that the best way to manage my time (and my stress) has been to focus on things that really matter. It’s about knowing what I absolutely have to do and what can either be postponed, delegated, or done away with altogether. It’s about knowing what to take seriously and what to let slide. It’s about taking care of the big things so the little ones take care of themselves and the really little ones don’t bother me at all.”

(From Work in Progress)

Frugal Dad Says:

July 7th, 2008, 9:02 am

This is something I definitely need to work on. I’ve found when I “take a time out,” as you suggest, I typically come back to the situation with a more level head. If I don’t take a time out I typically unleash on anyone around. It’s not healthy to let yourself get to that boiling point, and since I’m now aware of my impatience/temper I try to step away when I feel it bubbling up. Great ideas!

Mary Says:

July 7th, 2008, 9:36 am

Definitely an area I could stand to work on. Thanks for the ideas, Leo.

I remember being told as a kid, “Don’t pray for patience, because God will make you wait.” :-)

Giania Says:

July 7th, 2008, 10:25 am

punching things? yelling? Definitely not how I release my anger.

I have a tendency to clean or reorganize when frustrated. It’s constructive use of that inevitable restlessness caused by being upset, and by focusing in on the task at hand, I’m then able to organize my own thoughts into more rational ones.

It doesn’t ALWAYS have that effect, but at least things are neater by the time I stop.

Granata Says:

July 7th, 2008, 10:33 am

Yesterday I did something that relates to the point about starting small. I heard my kids making a mess in the other room. I knew it would be bad so before I took one step in their direction I said a quick prayer for grace. It was not long, or anything. I think it went literally like, “Good God, give me grace for my kids.”

It worked.

Marelisa Says:

July 7th, 2008, 10:47 am

I think it’s also important to remember that everyone around you is doing the best they can, so maybe instead of losing your patience you could try feeling compassion.

Rahul Says:

July 7th, 2008, 10:57 am

Great post and these are all things I have worked on for myself recently! It’s hard to master these items but one at a time does the trick! Makes suchhhhh a difference.

Stephen Smith Says:

July 7th, 2008, 11:13 am

It is really great to see the openness here, folks. Keep it up!

H20CarChick Says:

July 7th, 2008, 11:30 am

The Tao speaks that small steps accomplish great things. Patience to me is about taking small steps at a time, doing what you can in the present moment. Impatience and frustration is the ego taking you into the future, making tasks seems impossible. Being mindful of emotions in the present helps me, since I am a recovering control freak :)

Thanks for the great post!

chris Says:

July 7th, 2008, 12:45 pm

I’m usually a patient person except of course when I’m hungry. This is my trigger, when I’m hungry I get very impatient and irritated. However, after eating, I’m back to my normal self.

Also, I use to be very impatient with my children but I discovered that during the weekend or when I’m on vacation, I’m more patient. It occured to me that I was subconsciously bring the stress from work to my home. I fixed this by changing my responsibilities and climate at work. I’m fortunate that I was able to do this and as a result, my patience with my own children grew.

This goes to show that sometimes our impatience is a result of our own personal issues…

Maura Says:

July 7th, 2008, 14:38 pm

Compassion (n.): Deep awareness of the suffering of other(s) coupled with the wish to relieve it.

1. OBSERVE. An emotional response is not the same as an active response. Learn to observe and accept your emotions without judgment rather than react to them. If you are living in the present, emotions will come and go like clouds in the sky.

2. LEARN. Respect your emotions. If you find yourself faced with situations that test your patience on a regular basis, sometimes the message that you need to hear is that the situation needs to change, rather than your emotional response to it. Once you realize this, it is up to you to make the situation change.

3. CHANGE. True patience is not just a habit but a frame of mind. “Stuffing” frustration or anger into a jar and screwing down the lid to keep it under control doesn’t work over long periods of time or in particularly stressful situations. Learn to not become frustrated or angry to begin with by nurturing in your heart and mind compassion for others and yourself. This will free you from bonds of anger and frustration, and infuse into your life patience and peace. Meditation is one path to compassion.

So easily said…

Rose Garden Says:

July 7th, 2008, 14:42 pm

Do not confuse patience with saintliness. Many a villian has used patience and perseverence to acheive his or her objective.

conceição Says:

July 7th, 2008, 15:05 pm

and sometimes….

Sara Says:

July 7th, 2008, 15:05 pm

I think patience has a lot to do with living presently also. People get frustrated with time and frustrated with pressures. If you take each moment as they come, and cherish them, it’s much easier to be patient.

And in regards to others, EMPATHY. Only other people make my blood boil, but if I take a minute to understand where they might be coming from, EVERY time the frustration is ebbed.

billy Says:

July 7th, 2008, 15:27 pm

having patience is a blessing.

Laurie Says:

July 7th, 2008, 15:50 pm

I think that sometimes we allow ourselves to get into the habit of being impatient. After a while, anger and frustration become knee-jerk reactions. This is why I really like tip #9: Visualize. Taking the time to visualize how to handle a situation allows you to create different responses in your mind so you have other reaction scenarios to refer to in times of frustration instead of continuing to implement an old, bad habit.

Good post - lots of strong ideas. Thanks!

Wendi Kelly Says:

July 7th, 2008, 17:06 pm

The trigger is a very very important one. Also, it helps to be able to just take a moment and sit back and observe what is going on in the environment around you. There are probably a combination of factors. Is it hot? Loud? Crowded? Too small a place? Sometimes a behavior that you would have been able to handle at one time seems impossable under other circumstances. If you can learn as many of these, you can be more prepared and learn to enhance your environment for your protection.

Dave Says:

July 7th, 2008, 19:19 pm

I read the words, but I remember none of them - that photo has robbed me of all focus.

Rannie B Says:

July 7th, 2008, 22:20 pm

Thank you Leo.

This post will be very helpful to me. I’m printing it to make sure I have it handy when I need it.

I’m sure my kids will want to thank you as well in a couple of weeks ;).

Cheers,

Daniel Richard | WE Says:

July 8th, 2008, 2:58 am

Hey Leo!

Interestingly, my last bookmark in the bible was in the book of Job. :)

Hence, the mention that it got in my site too.

Great tips you have there!

Daniel
http://winningeveryone.com

Avi Marcus Says:

July 8th, 2008, 8:28 am

I remember when someone was asking me how to do something on the computer - that I know they had done before, so I reminded them how to do it. And then they said they didn’t know how. Not trying and needing to rely on other people for really basic things that you can play around and figure out yourself just really upset me. I remember stopping myself, taking a really deep breath (#3) and then just smiling (#15) and explaining as slowly and simply as I could.

Gloria Says:

July 8th, 2008, 15:44 pm

Great post about patience, especially breathing, meditating, and love. It brought to my mind the concept of loving kindness. I blogged about it at http://zen-coffee.blogspot.com and linked back to your post.

Thanks for sharing.

Palisade Says:

July 8th, 2008, 15:57 pm

Job is not my hero…at least not for his “patience”

As a student of religion in general and the Hebrew Scriptures in particular, I have to join Raj in a bit of skepticism here.

Job actually gets royally “pissed” on several occasions but still persists.

Robin Turner Says:

July 9th, 2008, 6:44 am

The Stoic philosophers have a lot of useful things to say about this. I’d recommend in particular Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” and Seneca’s “On Anger”.

Jesse Says:

July 9th, 2008, 9:22 am

The only way you can have patience like Job is through God. The armchair psych stuff above is hilariously feeble to deal with what Job went through.

I agree with the others, Job isn’t a great model of patience, more of faith and trust in God.

jaxun Says:

July 9th, 2008, 13:47 pm

I have recently discovered a context and method for enhancing my patience while conserving gas at the same time: drive no faster than 58 on the freeway (and more slowly in general).

If you are saying to yourself, “Big deal!”, bear in mind that Iive and drive in the San Francisco East Bay area.

I used to get really impatient and annoyed at people who tailgated me. Having purposely slowed down (and never moving out of the slow lane) has caused me to change that perspective. While it still bugs me, I remind myself that I am choosing to put myself in a situation that will likely result in being tailgated. Not only do I get over it, but people realize I am not going to drive any faster and go around me. What I love about taking this approach is that I am rewarded with a small (and admittely somewhat smug) satisfaction when I pass these same people as traffic eventually piles up down the road.

I have noticed that literally slowing down in my car (where I can see I was exercising and experiencing the LEAST patience) has had a significant effect on my overall demeanor. And I’ve gone from 26 mpg to 33 mpg in my 1990 Buick Skylark.

Just a thought. Your mileage may vary (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Breian Malupa - Breian.com Says:

July 16th, 2008, 5:02 am

Having patience means that you are in a relaxed state and not in a stressful state. When you lose patience, you slowly start to stress out.
Patience means good control. When you lose patience, you start to lose control. When you lose control, it is hard to direct your energy and focus. You will most likely be headed to unwanted outcomes and circumstances.

That’s why it is always important to have Patience ;)

excellent article :)