Patience. A trait we all wish we had an abundance of yet struggle to maintain daily. Well, maybe not everyone, but I know that most of you can agree with me. Patience is difficult on a typical day, between work, traffic, kids, stress – it all builds up so quickly. Now, on top of all that, put the adoption process. It is hard to have ANY patience knowing that your life might change with one phone call at any time. No matter if you are preparing to welcome a little one or just trying to get through your day, here are a few tips on how 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 lineup 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 heads without considering the consequences. If we’re patient, pause and go over what we want to say, we can avoid hurting or offending others.

Learn more about the benefits of patience here.  

To learn more about positivity, living in the moment, and being thankful, click here!