Admit it, with the fast-paced lifestyle we have right now, being patient ranks right up there with “love your enemies” and “turn the other cheek” as the hardest virtues to follow.  There will be delays, traffic jams, endless forms to fill out, last-minute changes to directions and all the irritating things that can possibly happen.  To top it all, you might get the bad luck of having to deal with people who severely lack the people skills to diffuse a situation and in fact aggravate it even more. Consider those presumably confirmed appointments where you’re asked to wait and wait only to be told that the meeting’s postponed for another day. Or those Motor Vehicle clerks who don’t give you all the steps that you need before you line up for half the day only to find out at the end of the line that you have the wrong forms filled out.  You can easily blow a gasket… and with good reason!

But again, patience is a virtue and waiting is a big part of it. So, since patience is not something that you can grab from a supermarket, you have to develop and perfect it on your own.  Here’s some ways to practice it: be time-conscious, be prepared, AND have a back-up.

First, be time-conscious. The cardinal rule in any appointment is not to be late but it’s also not right to be so early. Make it a point to be at the meeting place around 15 minutes ahead of time. That way, you don’t have to spend so much time waiting should the other party be late. It'll be less stressful not to have to watch the clock turn or to resort to counting the floor tiles as the minutes drag on by.

Second, be prepared. Always have something handy to do to pass the time. A book is always a good choice; there’s also the newspaper, the crossword puzzles, handheld games, etc. When you’re immersed in these activities, there will be less of a chance of you getting impatient and aggravated. And you’ll have the benefit of a little brain exercise as an added boost!

Last, have a back-up. Lets say you’re meeting suddenly got cancelled and you’re left with half a day open. Don’t waste it by getting worked up about the delay or the inconvenience of a re-appointment. Run some errands or buy groceries or file your receipts for your taxes. Anything that can fill up the time, go for it.

Patience takes time to perfect and every little bit of practice helps.

Just keep your cool.

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