Tips on How to Develop Patience
* Take a day where you make patience your goal for the entire day.
Make a concerted effort to take your time and think about everything you do, be mindful and live in the moment. At the end of the day, observe all the ways in which you've made smarter decisions, got along better with others and actually understood what took place. Learn to do it on a daily basis. Developing patience is much like physical exercise because it requires persistence and effort.
* Slow down.
If you have the tendency to rush around and try to hurry things up, want things done immediately and can't wait for things to take their natural course, STOP. Take several deep breaths before you act or make a move. For example, if you're in a long line-up at the grocery store or in heavy traffic, make the decision to pause and not get worked up. Do some isometrics, listen to the radio, or just enjoy the view. Getting impatient won't make things move along any faster, so why get worked up for nothing?
* Practice delaying gratification.
When you want to reach for that dessert, second drink or buying your tenth pair of red shoes, stop and think about it first. Maybe you don't need or want any of them that badly after all. You can save yourself some money or added calories.
* Practice thinking before you speak.
At times we blurt out the first thought that comes into our head without considering the consequences. If we're patient, pause and go over what we want to say, we can avoid hurting or offending others.
Situations for which patience is a must:
*Reaching most goals
*Losing weight
*Having a baby
*Being a parent
*Body-building
*Becoming a professional career person such as a doctor, lawyer, engineer
*Becoming a top athlete
*Becoming a virtuoso in any musical field
*The healing of any wounds or illnesses
*Getting over loss or tragedy
Patience is definitely a valuable character trait to develop. It may appear to be passive, however it is an active, purposeful and necessary form of self-discipline. Without patience many of our actions would be counter-productive and ultimately much time and energy would be wasted spinning our wheels. Patience really is a time-tested virtue.
This Valentines day spend the day nurturing yourself. To love anyone else you must first love yourself. I am going to enjoy a day at home. I will give myself a manicure & a pedicure. I will go for a walk in the fresh air on my own. I will sit for a while and read a book, in silence...I will do whatever I feel like, on my own & this Valentines Day is going to be a day when I do the things that make me feel good. It is mere coincidence but I like the idea of it all. 
