Practicing Patience

I had a light bulb moment this weekend. A good friend told me about her experience practicing patience. I realized that she is learning how to be patient. This is a skill that was taught to me many years ago and I forget that patience is something everyone learns differently and at different times of their lives. I love being surprised by my assumptions. It keeps my humble and challenged.

So, I asked my friend what she is doing to learn patience. She is a commuter and spends many hours driving her car. In a recent traffic jam, my friend said she followed some steps from a magazine article she had read. She noticed what was going on in her body(stomach tightening, pounding head, tight throat), took deep breaths, told herself there was nothing she could do to change the situation she was in, and focused on a relaxing image of being at a campfire in the woods sharing a fun filled weekend with friends. And then her experience of being stuck in traffic became something else. She turned off the adrenaline from stress.

What is your experience with learning and using patience in your everyday life?

Change

Change is in the air in this particular election. And change is a topic we can address in our lives yet again. I really love the freedom, challenge and opportunity for creativity and learning that change brings. Maybe there is some discomfort, awkwardness, and confusion that is included in the change package, and overall I see these as small prices for the possibility of forward movement and personal growth and discovery.
Take a look at what might be a change that you can make in the short term and the long term that would stretch you. For me, in the short term, I have connected with an opportunity to get matching funds for my contributions to Kiva, which is an organization that funds small donations for entrepreneurs around the globe.(www.kiva.org). For the long term I am learning how to make Mind Movies that will propel me forward with the projects I have.(www.mindmovies.com)
I would love to hear what changes are in the air for you!