When I googled what patience is, it said:
“The ability to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming angry or upset.”
I have always tried my best to be patient in my life. Although I know that when I can be patient, I always get better results. Being patient is a pretty simple concept, but for some reason it can be so difficult to put into practice.
Practicing patience will help you better cope with the challenges life throws at you. Patience also brings peace, optimism, hope and confidence into your life.
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles disappear.” — John Quincy Adams
The key message is very clear - when you practice patience, you are more likely to lead a successful and happy life.
In this article, you'll learn why patience is good for you and how to practice patience so you can take better control of your life.
What is patience?
He who is patient is better than the brave, and he who controls himself is better than the conqueror of a city.
Proverbs of Solomon, 16:32
Patience in life manifests itself as the ability to persevere through various adversities , wait for the most opportune moment and prioritize the long term over the short term . When a person is able to endure various difficulties with fortitude, he can not only keep the direction of his path unchanged, but also gets the opportunity to build right relationships. After all, any relationship requires patience.
Waiting for the right moment allows you to get the greatest results . If we plant seeds ahead of schedule, they may not sprout. If we strive to achieve something for which we are not ready, we may fail. Patience in life is important as taking action at the most favorable moment. This applies not only to professional activities, but also to relationships. Patience is certainly a virtue that everyone needs, but it should be explained why this quality is sometimes considered a sign of weakness.
It seems that patience contradicts such qualities as courage, determination, pride, determination, and so on. After all, outwardly, patience in life looks like passivity, refusal to act, sometimes unreasonable. But in fact it turns out that it does not contradict, but rather complements such active qualities. Patience can lead a person to those circumstances where acting actively is most effective.
The right choice of time for active action can give more than continuous action, which will very soon make you run out of steam and give up on the goal, simply because there is no strength or results. The reasonable use of patience for active people will be a factor of restraint, accumulation and concentration of forces for one precise, decisive action. One large, rapid flow of water can do much more harm than many small fluctuations. Likewise, a person, acting decisively and possessing strength, is able to achieve more.
For less active people, patience manifests itself as the flow of a small river that, day after day, grinds out a huge stone. “And if you repeat the blows often, even though the ax is small, it will cut down a mighty oak.” Such patience manifests itself as constant influence, an accumulation of results that will accumulate day after day.
The difference between these two patience is that some people are more inclined to be active, but their constant desire to be active weakens them so much that they cannot do anything serious while remaining in place. Other people tend to act every day, but little by little, and they do not always have the desire to rush somewhere, overcome something and achieve something. This patience means that you should approach the task like growing a garden, gradually and methodically. However, nothing prohibits combining these two methods. For example, an athlete, in order to achieve the best result, is forced to keep in shape constantly, but actively train and reach the peak of his abilities only before competitions.
Virgo
The desire for perfection makes Virgos attentive and calm. To get what they want, Virgo spares no time and patience. She is ready to go a long way to achieve the desired result, and this cannot be done without patience. No matter how painstaking the work is, Virgo will not abandon it halfway.
Virgo knows how to receive guests and knows how to do it. Once she visits, she will certainly pay attention to the order in the home. Although patient people are not uncommon among Virgos. But unpleasant odors, dust and scattered things make them feel disgusted. They will not make any comments, but they will try not to come here again.
Attitude towards patience
The negative attitude towards patience as a quality of the weak is dictated by the everyday observation that the weak usually tolerates the actions of the strong , while in the minds of society the image of the strong as a hot-tempered, proud and vindictive person who will not tolerate anything is strengthened. This cult of brute force creates false ideas. After all, only the strong can truly endure ; the weak are simply not capable of this. The patience of the strong lies in the choice: to endure or not to endure . But the weak often have no such choice. True patience comes from strength, from the ability to make volitional choices.
We also recommend this article: Detachment from the world - a feeling and state of natural being
Only then does true virtue emerge when there is a choice. When a person realizes the voluntariness of his patience, consciously acting from a position of patience, this is a virtue that can change a person for the better. When a person endures unwittingly, accumulating dissatisfaction in his heart, this is simply suffering. Involuntary patience does not come from will, but from fear and generates hatred in a person’s heart.
Just as warm clothes protect against cold, endurance protects against resentment. Increase patience and calmness of spirit, and resentment, no matter how bitter, will not touch you.
Leonardo da Vinci
However, everyone has a choice to tolerate or not and the only difference is whether we are able to maintain inner dignity and not succumb to hatred and anger or not. When an elder tolerates a younger one out of mercy, this is patience. When a younger person tolerates an older one out of true humility, that is patience. But when the elder’s patience is dictated by the fear of being left alone or the threat of a bad attitude, this is simple self-interest. In the same way, when a younger person tolerates an older person for some specific purpose, in order to get something, this is also simple self-interest, which is not a true virtue.
A person develops a negative attitude towards patience when he sees that only the weak endure. And not wanting to try on the role of the weak, a person cultivates impatience in himself from childhood. When he finds himself in the real world, where he has to endure a lot, the pride nurtured within does not allow him to act calmly, constantly bumping into various manifestations of forced patience. The problem also lies in the fact that true patience is very difficult to understand, since it does not clearly manifest itself. Suppose a father teaches his son and he patiently explains and shows him over and over again how to do something correctly. Impatience will be obvious when the father indignantly waves his hand and leaves his son, but patience will not be obvious, because it will manifest itself in continuing activities that are something natural. The son will remember not his father’s patience, but his own efforts and training.
The patience of the strong is not noticeable, but the patience of the weak manifests itself very clearly. It is because of this association that an attitude is developed towards patience as a negative quality. But in reality, only a truly strong person can voluntarily show patience in life. Constantly doing something at the right time, not responding to insults and misbehavior of others, being consistent - these and other manifestations of patience can be either voluntary or forced. When a person suffers insults because he cannot respond, this is humiliation; when a person does not respond to insults because he can answer, this is dignity. After all, who in their right mind would bark back at a dog or argue with a fool?
Once, even after receiving a kick, Socrates endured it, and when someone was surprised, he replied: “If a donkey kicked me, would I sue him?”
Forced patience can easily turn into voluntary, and weakness can become a virtue. This is possible when such patience does not result in anger, hatred, resentment, desire for revenge or to somehow respond to insults. Inner dignity becomes a virtue and looking at the offender as suffering in one's heart becomes the reason for the disappearance of fear. No happy person will simply test the patience of others. Such a humble view of others can make the weak strong, and transform the vice of hatred into the virtue of compassion.
We also recommend this article: Self-development - a thorny path to perfection
a lion
There are patient people among Leos. However, this sign with royal habits is not distinguished by patience. But it’s not only the lack of proper respect for their own person that irritates them - their demands on others are much higher.
Firstly, Leo does not like monotony. Repeating the same text or movement eventually just starts to piss him off. Secondly, Leo will be extremely annoyed when he finds out that the previously discussed plan has been changed without his consent. Thirdly, having caught someone in a lie, Leo has a desire to tear the liar to pieces.
Patience in life is a manifestation of strength when it is voluntary
When a person is waiting for a verdict in court or is serving a sentence for a crime, this cannot be considered virtuous patience. When a person waits for the right moment not only in big matters, but also in everyday life and in relationships voluntarily, this is a virtue. Patience in life gives a feeling of freedom and will. But patience should be exercised moderately and adequately. When a person lives by patience alone and refuses to do anything, this cannot be considered correct behavior. When a person waits for the perfect moment all his life or lets everything take its course, this can only worsen life, and not make it more perfect.
Thus, patience should be exercised appropriately when it has specific reasons. For example, patience shown when a person is insulted is appropriate, but is it appropriate to tolerate when loved ones are insulted? Is it appropriate to tolerate when injustice is committed that we can influence? Is it appropriate to have patience with one's own faults and shortcomings? To succeed in patience means to learn to apply it correctly, not to make it a dogma, but to live with this quality in harmony, realizing its facets. Such understanding can only be achieved by consciously practicing patience, with everyone at once, and not just with selected people.
Patience should be consistent and constant, but should not overshadow everything else. Patience in life should not come from vicious or selfish intentions, otherwise it will only poison a person’s heart. He who patiently keeps evil in his heart commits evil every day, wanting revenge. Patience in life should be combined with humility and compassion so that it does not become the cause of fall and delusion.
Aries
Patience towards Aries is not included in the list of advantages. He begins to get nervous everywhere: stuck in a traffic jam, standing in line, when a flight is delayed or when claiming luggage. An impulsive and hot-tempered character pushes Aries into a frontal attack.
Being a good organizer himself, he refuses to understand why the transport arrived at the wrong time, the equipment repairman did not have the necessary tool, and it was impossible to call the waiter.
He begins to solve any issue immediately and with his pressure he will achieve his goal.
Patience in spiritual life
Patience is most clearly demonstrated when it comes to spiritual life . When turning to God, many people expect to see an immediate and expected result, but God's plan is not always compared with man's plan. A person is inclined to ask God according to need, and not out of necessity, and God, out of His mercy, often sends difficult but necessary lessons, the awareness of which gives happiness and deliverance from shortcomings. Patience in spiritual life is surrendering oneself to the will of God, without selfish thoughts about how such a will should manifest itself. This is a kind of surrender to the Almighty, a willingness to endure any deprivation, always maintaining faith, even going through very difficult lessons. Patience in spiritual life is a sincere renunciation of all expectations from God. This is the realization that everything is in the hands of the Supreme Lord and if a person does not have something now, then he does not need it now. Such patience does not imply renunciation of activity, but only tears a person away from the passionate desire to acquire something through divine intervention; such devotion frees the heart from passions and makes it possible to go to God not for the sake of worldly things, but out of love and devotion.
Taurus
This is the standard of patience. He can spend hours watching the ugliness happening right under his nose. It's not that it doesn't annoy him, it's just that he's patiently waiting for it to end.
Like no one else, he will treat with understanding a neighbor whose drill has been running for a long time; to a child running around the house with a drum; to a work colleague who is again slowing down the delivery of the project.
By the way, this is partly due to the slowness and practicality of Taurus. It's a pleasure to be around them. These are very patient and understanding people for the time being.
Patience in life
Patience is a quality that makes it possible to bear both expectation and irritation in your heart. True patience comes from the voluntariness and character of a person, and not from circumstances, and is manifested constantly, consistently and to all people. A correct understanding of patience comes with time and makes it possible to feel freedom from expectations and overcome dependence on external circumstances, maintaining dignity within oneself, regardless of external manifestations. Patience can purify the heart, make the weak strong and give the best results.
Cultivate the garden, pull out the weeds. Plow the land, reap the harvest. The easy way is always a sweet lie. What you sow is what you reap.
Scorpion
In fact, the wait-and-see attitude for Scorpio is his natural state. He can observe, analyze, draw conclusions for years, and for this, of course, you need to have a lot of patience.
This is not to say that irritation is alien to this sign. But what is certain is that Scorpio knows how not to show it. Keeping emotions under control is a special skill, and Scorpio can be proud of it.
Although Scorpio is irritated by soft-spoken, indecisive people, he is always ready to listen to them and offer help. This feature distinguishes patient people of this sign.
Capricorn
This is an excellent time strategist, able to calculate the time required to complete certain tasks. Capricorn will not rush to complete everything quickly; quality is important to him. In this regard, Capricorns are very patient people.
If mistakes and mistakes can be avoided, he will try to do so. For example, it is said that the potential of concrete when laying a foundation will be realized in 4 weeks; it will withstand these deadlines, unlike many in a hurry.
Capricorn is in no hurry either in terms of making financial decisions or in terms of personal relationships. He is always careful, unless falling in love can turn his head.
God blesses those who are patient
The Bible contains examples of how long-suffering was rewarded by God: “Behold, we call them blessed [call them blessed] who have endured. You have heard about Job’s patience and seen his end from the Lord, for the Lord is very merciful and compassionate” (James 5:11). The Old Testament righteous man Job suffered unimaginable sorrows, losing all his property, children and health. However, after all the suffering, the Lord healed him, returned everything he had lost in abundance, and gave him the opportunity to give birth to seven more sons and three daughters. “After this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons and his sons’ sons to the fourth generation. And Job died in old age, full of days,” says the final verses of the book of Job.
God works out His plans in time and is never in a hurry. But He is never late. And the Lord wants us to slow down the pace at least sometimes, to live in anticipation, in trusting God, thanking Him for everything. He knows that the lessons we learn from patience build our character, elevate our lives, and enhance our happiness. Therefore, as the Apostle Paul said: “Let the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ” (2 Thess. 3:5).
Tatyana Archibasova
Sagittarius
There is no need to lump all Sagittarius with the same brush, but, whatever one may say, most representatives of this fire sign have zero patience.
They always need to run somewhere, make decisions instantly, because so much has not been done yet, but they need to get everything done. Moreover, in this cycle there is simply no time left to pay attention to the little things and tinker with the details.
Sagittarius strives to be the best, and he is annoyed that there is someone smarter, more beautiful, stronger nearby. But his aspirations are always commendable, and the quality of the work performed is not too different from his competitors.
Counting to 10
This method mainly refers to that aspect of patience, which is defined as endurance, self-control. Before you lose patience and give vent to your feelings, you need to count to 10 in your head. During these ten seconds, the initial emotions will give way to reason or at least lose a little of their fervor. Of course, particularly impatient subjects count very quickly. But still, the first five seconds will help. Gradually the count will become slower, and with each unit it will be easier to mobilize patience. An intelligent person will immediately feel the difference.
