Practice Practicing Patience
In our ever-changing, fast-paced world, time and time again, we will come across new information and situations. If we have the time, desire, and ability, we will process these new experiences, and they will become part of our knowledge base.
On the flip side, in our ever-changing, fast-paced world, time and time again, we will meet people who do not know what we know, have not experienced what we have experienced, and are newcomers to what is for us already part of our knowledge base. At first, in this situation, it may be shocking that someone does not know what we know, especially when we have possessed this knowledge for a long time.
This is when PATIENCE must come in!
Each day, the two of us do our best to live with intention. Part of living with intention is to practice practicing patience.
Considering the situation where we know something someone else does not, and we are surprised, practicing patience looks like this:
Create a pause. Breathe in and breathe out a few times until you feel a sense of calm. Do not speak until you ARE calm, and do NOT make a SHOW of your breathing. Definitely no eye-rolling or loud sighs!
Notice your feelings and acknowledge them to yourself.
Become clear about what is important to you in this situation.
Allow understanding to arise inside you.
Is the other person’s lack of knowledge based on an UNWILLINGNESS to learn, or are they simply being exposed to the information for the first time?
Express your willingness to educate gently, without forcing or demeaning.
Following this five-step process will bring connection to our relationships.
We see the need for this awareness almost daily:
Someone older does not know how to use their cell phone and are shamed by a relative.
A member of a class becomes outraged at another member because they are unfamiliar with terminology and nomenclature.
We scold ourselves because we don’t understand what the group at lunch is talking about, and it seems we are the only one in the world who doesn’t know.
Set the intention today to practice practicing patience in your interactions with yourself and others. It’s time we stop attacking and belittling when truly we all are doing the best we can with the awareness we have today.
Until next time,
Annette and Ada