“I have seen many storms in my life. Most storms have caught me by surprise, so I had to learn very quickly to look further and understand that I am not capable of controlling the weather, to exercise the art of patience and to respect the fury of nature.” (Quote by Paulo Coelho)

Introduction

​Patient indifference can give you what impatient devotion never could. Patience in itself is such a powerful tool that once mastered will enable you to reap great abundance. There are countless sailors who drowned because they could not wait for the storm to pass.

​Significance

​When you allow things to gradually fall in place without feeling agitated, you give yourself time to think more clearly and devise a better plan or strategy. This way you get to see the entire picture and make an informed decision instead of a hasty one. At the same time, cultivating patience can do wonders for your mental health. Imagine steering through the most aggressive of problems without a trace of stress or frustration simply because you can.

​Time and again, many great philosophers and leaders have emphasized on the need to become patient in our ways. The ability to restrict one’s actions and movements, to reign in one’s train of thoughts, has been tremendously undervalued. As common men, we fail to understand the simple fact that revolutions aren’t brought about overnight. Every big change occurs at its own pace, and if we do not strive to get our own train of thoughts in sync with the latter, we are bound to get de-railed sooner or later.

​Cultivation

​Meditation is perhaps the best-suited exercise for developing patience. For this, simply sit in a cross-legged position with your back straightened out as if you were trying to touch the roof of your room with the top of your head. You can sit on a chair as well if you aren’t used to sitting in a crossed-legged position. Place your hands on your thighs and let them rest with your palms facing upwards. Now, gently close your eyes while looking at 45° from the horizontal and bring your attention to the flow of your breath. Focus on how your breath flows in through your nostrils, feel your lungs expand slightly. Then focus on how your breath flows out through your nostrils, feel your lungs contract back to their original shape. Also, pay attention to the movement of your abdomen. Observe how it inflates and deflates with each breath. Do this every day for 15-20 minutes. You may increase the time as per your convenience once you become accustomed to this beautiful exercise.

​When confronted with a challenging situation, instead of reacting immediately, especially in a way you’ll surely regret later, try shifting your focus from the matter at hand. Pay attention to how your feet feel, or how the pace of your breath has changed, or how slow or fast the second hand of your watch is moving. Next, when you know you have gained control over your senses, introspect upon your current state of mind. Closely watch your emotions, and do not judge or criticize yourself for feeling the way you feel. Negative emotions are just as important as the positive ones. Maturity lies in how you channel them, irrespective of their polarity. In a few minutes, you’ll find yourself to be in a calm and relaxed state of mind, re-equipped with a clear sense of judgment.

​Resources

​Coming soon!

​End Note

​The idea isn’t to get rid of negative emotions like anger, anxiety, or restlessness, but to learn to channel them in a constructive manner. The same is true for handling positive emotions as well. Each and every emotion has its own purpose, even fear. Just like courage does not indicate the absence of fear but our ability to act when we are scared to the bone, patience also is not implicative of the absence of negative emotions but our ability to guide our thoughts, feelings, and actions in a way that benefits us instead of tearing us down when facing a difficult situation.

​PS. If you wish to become an accomplished human being, equipped with the right values and ethics, you should work on cultivating patience as a virtue. It is one of the nine most important virtues of all times for promoting self development and growth.