The power of patience

[Guest guest]

The power of patiencePatience refers to the ability to endure calmly, hardship,

annoyance, inconvenience and delay.It is self-possession of spirit that can

weather any of life’s storms and hiccups, for the spirithas been made patient

through weathering storms and hiccups. By bearing pain and troublecourageously

(forbearance), through reflecting and deciding what is to be done

(determination)and by continuing on steadily in doing (persistence), the

patient soul has learned the balancein the rhythm of living and loving.The

patient soul has lost pride and gained humility. It has dropped fulfilling

self-desires in favour of charity. It looks upon the experiences with

gratitude, knowing what it has learnt about knowing who it is. In developing

wisdom about self and others,the patient soul has discovered that patience is

simply an aspect of Love - that calmness of mind that assists in choosing

action that is non-violent, positive, ethical, authentic and caring. The

patient soul both gives and receives the joy and serenity that arises from

peace of mind.An appreciation of being patient usually comes from experiencing

the fruits of impatience.Some common situations involving impatience and the

kinds of thoughts that arise, are:• Worrying and being frustrated about an

outcome yet to occur. Your employer has to downsize. The Board is meeting next

Friday to decide which employee positions are non-essential. Employees in

non-essential positions will receive a redundancy package. You agonise: “Will I

be unemployed? How will I manage? Where’s the next job coming from?”• Feeling

irritated with people who may be too slow, too quick, less emotionally mature

or not enthusiastic about your truth. You have had a spiritual experience which

has been truly soul-stirring. Full of excitement, wonder and energy, you share

this with some friends, expecting them to feel the same. They don’t. They

listen politely, but it’s obvious, the experience is foreign to them. “My

friends don’t understand me.”• Becoming angry with yourself in not meeting

the challenges your daily life presents. Today, the car has to serviced, the

oven thermostat has just blown and the electrician can only come at the time

you had planned to have lunch with a friend. You are disappointed because your

plans are upset, and you are angry, because the cool you said you would put in

place next time plans had to be suddenly changed is nowhere to be seen. “I just

can’t change. I’m hopeless.”• Looking outside for causes contributing to a

life viewed as unsatisfying. Your home situation is not harmonious. In fact,

you prefer to spend time at work where you feel happier. With the

responsibilities you now carry, there is no way out. You feel trapped. You

think that life has treated you unfairly. “Come on, God, give me a break. I’m

overdue some happiness.”To cultivate patience from impatience, a steady

approach is required. Some indicators for cultivating patience are:1. Accept

the situationAccepting the situation in which you find yourself places you in

the now. You can create silence or space in which to sow seeds of calmness.

One way of accepting is to state aloud, several times, the simple truth of the

situation. Simple truths in the previous impatience scenarios may be: Yes, I

could be unemployed by Friday; I am the only one interested in my spiritual

experience; I’m finding it tough to remain calm when plans change suddenly;

I’m feeling unhappy when home and happy when at work.2. Accept and understand

your human selfIn the reality of your human self, there is often resistance to

change, emotions that seesaw, and habitual ways of acting. Everyone with whom

you come in contact is busy working through their own struggles, relapses,

crises and obstacles, too. Each being seeks happiness. Reserve judgement on

your humanity and accept that you are who you are where you are now. Any

movement without has a better chance of success when flowing from a state of

inner acceptance.3. Relax and let go of worry, frustration and anxietyIntegrate

a spiritual perspective as a guide in your situation. Pray to your personal God

or Source and talk each day about your connection. Reduce your sense of time to

one day at a time, chunk the day into manageable parts by setting a task at a

time. Make sure you spend some time regularly doing something you love so your

self esteem keeps in good shape. The key to relaxing and letting go of worry,

frustration and anxiety is to rally support around you – your inner resources,

family, friends and spirit.4. Empty your mind of racing thoughts and instil a

sense of purpose and systemWrite down the questions that keep coming up.

Answer them. Break large goals down into short term goals and objectives, which

can be achieved in the immediate future – for eg. What if I lose my job on

Friday? Answer. I will look for a new one. On Saturday, I will look in the

jobs section of the newspaper. On Monday; I will register with employment

agencies. Determine to do this question and answer regularly to reframe and

integrate new developments and to keep you focussed in the now.5. Recognize the

nature and process of change and your role in implementing itChange happens over

time and with disciplined effort. Disciplined effort is really persistence in

action, to continue on with resolve. Lasting change occurs at an evolutionary,

not revolutionary pace. Human existence is all about managing duality, and the

ability to be patient will give you a greater capacity to experience and work

with any situation in a calm and constructive manner for all involved. To

persist is the key. Cultivating patience will actually secure you better sleep

at night, and a stronger connection between outcomes desired and their

manifestation in your life. Over time, and through the application of patience,

the outcomes that manifest are the ones you both want and need to be happy.

Whether you call this happy alignment of want and need, Grace, or Coincidence,

or Success, you are creating a harmony of thought, word and action in your life

and around those connected to you.As Sri Sathya Sai Baba says: If a person is a

genuine vehicle of power, he can be recognised by the characteristics of truth,

kindness, love, patience, forbearance and gratefulness. Wherever these reside,

Ahamkaara (egoism) cannot subsist, it has no place. Seek, therefore, to develop

these. (Source: ''Ahamkaara causes Asanthi". Prema vahini) courtesy: source-

www.saihvstudy-net