How to be patient (the actual ingredients)
A couple of terms ago I signed up to be a Cub Leader with Rubicon Sea Scouts. I wanted to share with you the thing I’ve learned the most so far. It’s how to be patient. And no, I’m not talking about teaching this to the Cubs. They’re little bundles of energy that just want to have fun and play games. It’s about been patient with myself. Patience is a word that in the past has made me sigh, roll my eyes and get frustrated. I used to find it so annoying when someone would tell me to be patient. They didn’t tell me how to be patient. Even though they had good intentions it was meaningless advice because I didn’t know how to be patient. They were leaving out the most important bit of information. The steps I needed to know. The actual ingredients. In the last couple of months, I have found myself reminding clients to be patient with themselves as their body transitions into been the healthy, fit them. It naturally takes time, it doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a time lag between the choices you’re making today and the results you’ll notice in your body. Whenever I find myself dishing out advice like this I later realise there’s a lesson in here for me. One night after cubs I found myself annoyed at myself for not remembering what happens during parade. How long was it going to take to get my head around things? The laws, the protocols, the parents’ names, the way to structure a term program. Then into my head popped those words of wisdom a few hours ago I had been telling a client. “Be patient with yourself.” It dawned on me that I had left out explaining how to be patient. My own pet hate. Hmmm…what are the ingredients for been patient? This scenario is the perfect way to test it out on myself first and make sure it works. Ingredients:
Make things small, achievable steps
Be able to change
Let things go
Accept nothing will be perfect
Tell yourself “I can”
Look back at what you’ve achieved
So what did I do next? Set the oven to 180 degrees. Mixed these ingredients together. Added my own secret ingredient, of course. Put the mixture in a baking tray and into the oven. Hey presto, 2 minutes later I had made patience. Fantastic. My turn for a massive slice of this cake. And it worked. I was able to zoom out and look at things from a different perspective. I set myself small achievable goals. I learned some parent names. I sewed my badges onto my shirt. I started reading the leader booklets. My mind was clearer and more focused. I began moving forward, rather than feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Make your own receipt for patience. What will your secret ingredient be? Enjoy.
Something to think about...
"Invest in the process, not the outcome."
- Hill Krishnan, Teacher Pace University & Hunter College New York
