We have all been there before, pulling our hair out because we are having one of those days where things simply are not going our way. Whether it be a pair of forgotten keys, a lost wallet, a delayed train, a traffic jam, life is riddled with these little events that try and test our patience, wearing us so thin that we are on the verge of breaking. Well, what if I told you that this wasn’t the cause of the outside stressors such as traffic jams and screaming children, but came from an internal source. That’s right, it isn’t these events that try our patience, it is the way we handle them. You see, these events are outside of our control most of the time, and though that is the source of a lot of our frustration, it requires a kind of inner discipline and personal philosophy to overcome these feelings of anger or irrational outrage.
Patience truly is a virtue, and much like many other virtues, it can only be accomplished with conscious thought and effort. So next time you get caught in a traffic jam, don’t think to yourself how unfortunate you are or blame the situation. Ask yourself firstly how you could have avoided being in this situation. Did you leave for work late? Did you watch the news or study your route to see of any accidents? If you did not do any of these things, then why should you have expected a better outcome? If you were more patient with your routine, you might have been able to avoid these issues all together.
Betty Waltersdorf is a professional English teacher who can tell you first hand that patience is the most valuable virtue in the profession.
Patience truly is a virtue, and much like many other virtues, it can only be accomplished with conscious thought and effort. So next time you get caught in a traffic jam, don’t think to yourself how unfortunate you are or blame the situation. Ask yourself firstly how you could have avoided being in this situation. Did you leave for work late? Did you watch the news or study your route to see of any accidents? If you did not do any of these things, then why should you have expected a better outcome? If you were more patient with your routine, you might have been able to avoid these issues all together.
Betty Waltersdorf is a professional English teacher who can tell you first hand that patience is the most valuable virtue in the profession.