Patience is a Virtue

The common theme that I've seen this year is patience... mainly me being patient. I've heard the saying, "patience is a virtue" and since I've noticed it showing up in all areas of my life, I figured it could be a series of blog posts I could write. So, for the next couple of posts, you'll read how being patient shows up and how it pays off in my life. I hope you enjoy it and it makes a difference for you.

The first post will be about relationships. After dating someone for a while I've become really clear that I cannot make him do what I want him to do. This also works with friends and family. When I'm talking about making them do something, it's not like clean the dishes or wash the car - it's more than that. I'm referring to the "ah ha" moments in life where they make their choice to change their life for the better. Like quitting smoking, quiting drinking, seeing how they are judging someone, making someone wrong, or they are in the way of producing results in their life. I find that if I tell them that they are doing something wrong, or their behavior is a problem a couple things happen. Either they get mad, they get defensive, or they are in denial. The end result is the same if not more of the same behavior continues. I've come to the conclusion that I have to be patient and have them get that it's a problem. They have to come to the conclusion themselves that something needs to change in order for the change to take place. So, if you've noticed that there's a problem to point out, listen for when it's time to share your concern, but share it in such a way where you're not expecting an action or an outcome. Just share from your point of view. Sooner or later, they will get it, just trust that they will. After all, your concern for their issue is weighing only on you, not them. So why stress over it?