Are you a patient person?
Some of us are born with a longer fuse than others, but we all have our limits. Is it possible to lengthen that fuse and expand our limits? Why is patience important? I’ll be exploring answers to these questions during the next chapter in my character quest.
So, back to my first question. How patient are you?
You probably have a general idea, but it might be helpful to get an unbiased assessment. Feel free to ask others, but be prepared in case the truth hurts. Another option is to take a patience quiz. There are numerous free quizzes available on line. I tried quite a few. One that was short (only 10 questions) and interesting was:
http://quizlady.com/how-patient-are-you/?r=2q360
Here’s another one that is decent for teens (and only 12 questions):
http://www.gotoquiz.com/how_patient_are_you_5
These aren’t deep quizzes, but they’re helpful getting us to take a closer look at ourselves.
I’ve found I’m patient with day –to –day living, but struggle staying patient with major life events. I can hold my tongue when someone is rude, wait in lines without being whiney, and work hard for something that doesn’t pay off right away. Goodness knows, my job also requires a truckload of patience. I love the autistic students I work with—I really do—but I constantly have to remain calm when they throw tantrums. I have to patiently model correct responses while they scream, kick, and hit, reminding myself that their senses are on overload and they don’t naturally know how to release their frustration. By the end of each day, I am completely exhausted from the effort. Patient? Yes, I have to be patient. But when it comes to life events, I struggle to wait. I’m a planner and it drove me crazy when my kids were born years off schedule. It’s so hard for me to just wait to see what the future holds. A hazy career path is torture.
Do we just have to accept our current patience level? I don’t think so. Stick with me over the next few weeks, and we’ll see if we can lengthen that fuse and expand our limits.