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Practicing Patience: if only I had time…

I feel impatient most of the time, and sometimes that robs me of happiness. I find myself asking why things are taking so long, and if I’m not careful, I can get quite demanding of other people. On the flip side, it helps me get a lot of things done, so you can see impatience is one of those qualities that is both productive and unproductive and the variable is my presence of mind. 

I have accepted this dynamic and am purposeful about being present with it. The result of that acceptance: more inner peace. 

To deepen my practice I’m working through a program right now with Jonathan Foust. Recently he shared the following exercise that can be done with a partner or by journaling. With his permission I’m sharing it with you today:

While journaling or with a partner choose one of the following questions:

  1. What’s between me and feeling happy?
  2. What’s between me and feeling good inside?
  3. What’s between me and feeling free?

Now, ask yourself one of these questions and sit quietly. Let a response arise in its own time. Write down your response. Take a moment to let it know you see it. Imagine you could place the concern for it, if just for a few moments, to the side. Again, ask the question and sit quietly. Let a response arise in its own time. Again, write down your response. Continue for as long as it feels helpful. Try to do this another five or six times.