Monthly Musings: October 2019

Patience – we have all heard the old adage, patience is a virtue, but more often than not, when we are told that, we are not in the right place to hear it. As human beings in the 21^st century, we are all focused on the doing. The action rather than the in-action, the fast-forward mindset rather than slowing down the pace, the wanting it all right now and not about accepting what we have in the present moment.

Last month, I spoke a lot about PURPOSE – defining what that is, the paths you’ll meander along the way and the action points you’ll tick off as you do. As well as noticing any obstacles that crop up. The “S” of my month was all about speed:

Slowly does it, step-by-step. The turtle will win the race. We are always in such a hurry to achieve our dreams, to be XYZ or to do ABC. We want to get there now and we aren’t always prepared for the long journey that lies ahead. Remember what your purpose is on your mission and allow yourself to take the time to do things properly and to let it unfold naturally. You can’t rush happiness.

This mindset of not rushing and of being present in the moment requires us to be patient. I realise this can be oh-so-very frustrating: patience seems like a roadblock – like we are not doing anything productive with our time. But that’s the beauty of it; patience is action in itself. You are choosing to slow down or to wait. You are choosing to accept and realise that good things take time. Even better things take a lot of hard work, determination and persistence. Nothing worth having ever comes easily; even those things that you think are down to luck are probably more the result of previous hard work you’ve put in and resilience you have shown. Give yourself some credit and don’t put it all down to luck!

I also read somewhere that patience shows a strength of mind far greater than a strength of rushed action.

The mind is powerful and forcing it to slow down and to go over a situation takes more effort. Taking more time to think things through thoroughly, to really observe what is going on and to accept all that is and all that could be is a great skill.

It is something that crops up a lot at work – as I am sure you will agree. It feels so great when something – in my case, a recipe – works so well first-time round. It feels “lucky” but it is probably because of the years of experience, or the YouTube how-to videos you’ve watched, the people you idolise and the guidance you’ve received at an earlier stage. But this isn’t always the case and it takes a lot of strength and determination to start again. Working patiently at something for the second, third, even fourth time is always worth it – in my experience. A recipe comes out better than before and the sense of accomplishment after working harder and for longer is far greater. It is not just recipes that require this persistence – an office task, a sport, a hobby… you learn so much more by having to re-do and go-over things.

Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.

You may experience pain, it may feel bitter, but the result is twice as sweet. I think that’s something really important to note down. Compare how you feel when something works first time – you put it down to luck or a fluke. It feels great, but you don’t give yourself the full credit. Now, think about how you feel when you’ve really worked on something for several months or you’ve had several attempts at something and finally you break through. You feel like you’ve won gold. You are far more likely to allow yourself that complete sense of achievement. Your persistence, perspiration and patience have guided you to a wiser sense of self, a more well-rounded human being with a more open mind.

Patience isn’t just waiting around in the simplest of terms. It is action. It is hard work. It is character building. It is self-love. It is self-acceptance. It is time. It is wisdom. It is strength.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what patience means to you and when you have had to dig deep and truly be patient. As always, leave a comment below or get in touch over social media – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With patient love x