Cultivating the Art of Patience

We’ve all heard the saying, “Patience is a virtue.” We all know what it means.  We get it.  But when needed most, we don’t necessarily have it.  It falls into the “easier said than done” phenomenon.

It seems so simple.  We must learn to be patient. Good things come to those who wait.  And wait and wait and wait it seems. And we wonder how long do I have to wait?  How soon is long enough? How long till you really get tired of waiting?  Whether it’s the same pattern repeating itself over and over again or waiting for your lucky break or waiting for that all important email or letter, it can at times create a deep groove in the brain. Running to the computer in the morning, hoping to get word about that all important subject. Racing home to the mailbox and seeing whether it finally arrived. Going on that next interview and seeing yourself getting the job.

Hmmm…kinda makes you wonder. Obviously, there is a lesson to be learned other than cultivating patience. So what is it?   It could be non-attachment to an outcome. It could be being fine with the status quo. It could be cultivating equipoise – being fine with the “good” and the “bad”. How about that whole notion of divine timing? Perhaps that’s the lesson.  Or it could be putting in your hours or working your way up to an outcome. But the mind is stuck in that groove so the lesson is less than apparent.  Is the lesson giving up your story? If you don’t have your story, then it’s really difficult to identify with that deep groove.  That groove is created
from living your life and seeing the patterns arise in daily life.

And then we wonder if we are really not entitled to owning that dream home or getting that promotion. Maybe it is not meant to be. We have visualized, done our affirmations, created that dream board, written out how the scenario is supposed to be.  So what is the hold up already?

What is the true belief system that we hold? Do we really believe that we deserve this? That it will happen? Are we good enough to get what seemed like a dream?  Perhaps the lesson is to do our best. Make the effort. Believe that it will come as and when it should. Then let it go.  Release it into the universe and surrender it to a greater power. Get on with what is working and what you can create in your life.