In the 21st century it is human nature to want a quick fix. We seek instant gratification and a lot of the time are able to attain it for a lot of things whether it be fast food, instant information or purchasing the latest XYZ . However when it comes to wellbeing patience really is the key for any hope of long term success. Whether you are working on a fitness goal, wellness goal or simply looking to manage stress better. Patience and long term consistency is the key.
However patience is not always an easy practice. While personality plays a role in patience we can all learn to be more patient. Here are three things you can try to be more patient.
1) Identify when you are impatient. What emotion are you feeling?
Creating awareness around times where we are impatient is a great start. Can you identify what emotion is triggering this response? Maybe it's frustration or anger. Can you think about why you are feeling that way? Bringing awareness to our lives can help us to take steps toward identifying what might be triggering impatience.
2) Reframe how you think about situations.
Say you are working toward a weight loss goal and have yet to achieve the goal yet. Sometimes this may cause frustration or anger. But could we think about that in a logical way. Possibly evaluate our habits. Over the last 60 days have I eaten in line with my goals? What about movement? Have I been sleeping 8 hours per night? Drinking 2-3L of water daily? Evaluating our habits can create perspective and an honest view of whether we are taking responsibility or not.
3) Think with purpose on your mind
Identify the big picture. Remembering why putting up with whatever delay or frustration you’re facing will ultimately help you get where you want to go. The big picture is the key to developing long term habits. For example is your goal to run a half marathon or is it to become a runner? One is short term goal oriented and the other is identity (big picture) focused. The point of focusing on the big picture is that it creates sustainable change in our life that alters the way we think about things. With an identity switch we ultimately change who we are.
