| Hello Friends, As we all know, life can sometimes throw us a curveball...like a torn rotator cuff. Please bear with me while I share my story. A few years ago (and after much deliberation), I scheduled surgery to repair my torn rotator cuff. What I didn’t know at the time, and neither did my surgeon, was that I had also managed to tear my bicep tendon completely off the bone. In the grand scheme of things, it was no biggie. He managed to repair both. However, my anticipated recovery was longer and far more challenging than I had initially prepared myself for. So there I was, uncomfortable and feeling helpless, stuck at home with a bum right arm in a brace for 6 weeks. And that was before I could even begin physical therapy. Oh, by the way, I am a rightie. I am also Type A. |  |
At first, I found it difficult to relax and accept my circumstances.
I felt that I needed to accomplish something. ANYTHING.
No dice. Even sleeping proved difficult. There was nothing I could do but be PATIENT.
You can all roll your eyes along with me. No one LIKES being patient, especially in this digital era of instant gratification.
So what does being patient actually mean?
Webster’s Dictionary defines patience as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset”.
So being patient doesn’t mean sitting idle AND being pissy about it. It means actively opening your whole-hearted self to the here and now, even if you don't like your here and now.
And let me tell you. I did not like mine at all.
But I learned to let go because I could not do otherwise. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t cook, I couldn’t drive. Nada.
As time passed, I found myself actually enjoying those quiet moments at home with a cup of tea. I looked forward to greeting my children coming home from school and finding out about their day. I appreciated friends dropping in to check on me and help me with mundane tasks I could not do on my own (even though I was humbled by this).
Instead of being frustrated with my condition, I learned to appreciate the support I had and start applauding myself for every little milestone attained, such as dressing myself or washing my own hair.
It’s funny. My condition, albeit a temporary one, was physically so limiting, yet it ended up empowering me.
We are all so much more than our current circumstances no matter what they are -- job loss, divorce, Mercury retrograde, dealing with that really annoying coworker, and yes, even a pandemic.
We are far more powerful than any of those issues. We can passively allow our circumstances to sour us or even define us. Or we could use them to empower us….by actively exercising patience.
It’s really all what we make of it, isn’t it?
So for all of my sister Type As out there, perhaps it would help you to think of patience as a form of action.
Consider adding patience to your list of lofty goals. Imagine it’s a ratable skill on your LinkedIn profile.
As always, we invite you to share with us in the comments below.
Cultivating patience is a hot topic these days, given that we are coming up on a year of trying to live life and work through a pandemic. Let's be honest, our patience has REALLY been put to the test this year. How are you managing? What has helped? Let’s help each other through this!
With love and patience,
Carolyn
I felt that I needed to accomplish something. ANYTHING.
No dice. Even sleeping proved difficult. There was nothing I could do but be PATIENT.
You can all roll your eyes along with me. No one LIKES being patient, especially in this digital era of instant gratification.
So what does being patient actually mean?
Webster’s Dictionary defines patience as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset”.
So being patient doesn’t mean sitting idle AND being pissy about it. It means actively opening your whole-hearted self to the here and now, even if you don't like your here and now.
And let me tell you. I did not like mine at all.
But I learned to let go because I could not do otherwise. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t cook, I couldn’t drive. Nada.
As time passed, I found myself actually enjoying those quiet moments at home with a cup of tea. I looked forward to greeting my children coming home from school and finding out about their day. I appreciated friends dropping in to check on me and help me with mundane tasks I could not do on my own (even though I was humbled by this).
Instead of being frustrated with my condition, I learned to appreciate the support I had and start applauding myself for every little milestone attained, such as dressing myself or washing my own hair.
It’s funny. My condition, albeit a temporary one, was physically so limiting, yet it ended up empowering me.
We are all so much more than our current circumstances no matter what they are -- job loss, divorce, Mercury retrograde, dealing with that really annoying coworker, and yes, even a pandemic.
We are far more powerful than any of those issues. We can passively allow our circumstances to sour us or even define us. Or we could use them to empower us….by actively exercising patience.
It’s really all what we make of it, isn’t it?
So for all of my sister Type As out there, perhaps it would help you to think of patience as a form of action.
Consider adding patience to your list of lofty goals. Imagine it’s a ratable skill on your LinkedIn profile.
- How many colleagues would endorse you for patience?
- How would the family you’ve been quarantined with in the past year have to say about your patience?
- In what areas of your life can you cultivate more patience?
As always, we invite you to share with us in the comments below.
Cultivating patience is a hot topic these days, given that we are coming up on a year of trying to live life and work through a pandemic. Let's be honest, our patience has REALLY been put to the test this year. How are you managing? What has helped? Let’s help each other through this!
With love and patience,
Carolyn