Patiently Waiting...

Patience is a virtue. But why does it seem like patience is lost in today's world? We live in a microwave generation, everything is quick, and we no longer have to wait for the things we want. It would be easy to blame social media, but that's just part of the issue. Everywhere we look, each and everyday patience dwindles and soon will become lost in the wind. For instance, when I watch television now, I groan at how long commercial breaks are. I would stop watching a show entirely until the entire series is on Netflix because I don't want to watch an episode every week; I want to watch them all in one sitting (which is far from good, but I continue to do it).

In today's world, we want fast money, we want to make life-long friendships within 2 months of knowing someone, we want to find soulmates with ease, but good things take time, especially the things we want. When things take longer than five minutes (or more), we back out, we look for an easier way, or we move on to the next without actually diving deep. Everything around is becoming if it hasn't already instant, which is shortening our attention spans. How many times have we conversed with people, and if they are not at the point of the conversation within the first few seconds, our brains time out, we get bored, or sometimes we rush them and say "get to the point!" or "Is there a point to this?" But that's no way to connect with people. It's what we're used to, but that doesn't mean we can't change our practices.

Patience allows us to make better decisions. It helps us to pause, sort our thoughts, and feel in control again. When we practice patience, we develop the persistence to keep going though we fail once, twice or even three times. Success will come to those who keep trying, even though it may not seem necessary at the moment. Instant results lead to adverse effects in the long term. Sometimes, our expectations can disturb our patience. When our expectations are too much for something or someone, and we're let down, we find ourselves quitting and finding something we know that won't take too much effort or time.

"Patience attracts happiness; it brings near that which is far." Swahili Proverb

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There are benefits to being patient; some include:

• Developing a skillset

  • When trying something new, have the patience to continue though you are no good because you'll be better than when you first started by the time you know it.

• Bettering Your Mental Health

  • Impatience leads to feelings of worrying and stress. Stressing and constantly worrying about things takes a toll on our mental health and physical health.

• Practicing Kindness

  • In the article attached, the author says the right thing, and the kind thing isn't always the easiest. The choices we make that are kind aren't easy, but they sure are worth it.

• Practicing Faith

  • God is always on time, but because we want things at the moment we ask for them, it seems like he's late. Knowing and understanding that when we ask for something, they will come when God says they'll come, not when we do.