I’ve been trying for a week and a half to write about patience. The concept is one that I find to be very important, but every time I sat down to do some research on this I got, well … impatient.
Being a patient person is even more virtuous than it used to be. Most information is easily accessible on your phone in seconds – we aren’t used to waiting. Amazon Prime can deliver within two hours in some locations – no need to wait that agonizingly long time of 24 hours to get your order any more.
In 2000, the average attention span was 12 seconds; in 2016 it was 8 seconds. It’s believed that goldfish have a 9 second attention span. This seems like a problem!
The real hurdle here is how a lack of patience may affect your day-to-day life, wellbeing, and of course, your finances.
Why Does It Affect My Money?
Well, patience certainly pays off when it comes to your savings. We’ve all heard about the magic of compound interest. This is where your interest earns interest and over time this can add up to big returns. It can also pay off if you defer spending until you have the money you need, as opposed to running up your credit cards. Or you could wait until the item you think you need goes on sale. By then, you might even realize that you don’t really need it.
How Can I Cultivate More Patience?
This very well may be a learned skill. One good step is to notice when you are feeling impatient. Next time you are in line at Starbucks and you want to scream at the person in front of you who orders 6 complicated drinks and then changed his order, instead, take in a few deep breaths. Concentrating on your breathing helps you to feel calmer and less annoyed. Next, ask yourself this question that I got from Mark Ewert, author of The Generosity Path: “What is the most generous response I can have right now?” Doesn’t that feel better than the question, “Why is this person such an idiot?!”
I got to flex my patience muscles as we updated and launched my website. When we started, I thought it would take two months at the most. It took ten months! I had to keep reminding myself in divine timing. We’re up and running now. I hope you’ll check out my new programs.
I’ll wrap this up now – don’t want you to get too impatient reading!
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