Relocating my family to the capital of Canada – we were continuously reminded of the frigid winters. My husband took the approach that he was going to embrace this new attitude of accepting well below sub zero temperatures, believing it is all a mindset and if we embrace the harsh season, it will be easier as opposed to having a negative outlook. Winter – a breeze.
Respectfully, I cannot say that I have opened up to embracing the early days of what appears to be a long winter. I’ve even questioned if I should still seek my dream of dog ownership because I won’t be able to get outside enough for his exercise.
Then, in my moment of mindfulness this morning, I allowed myself to be patient. Not everyone is going to approach certain challenges the same way. We ask of our kids to be patient as we tackle on all the gear for them to get outside to play, or wait for the school bus, wait for dinner but we can be so harsh on ourselves if we don’t allow ourselves to cultivate patience and learn how to navigate new territories.
‘Mindfulness attitudes patience, demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time.‘ – Jon Kabat-Zinn
Allowing this patience to serve us will also allow our energy to flow more naturally , thus allowing us to show up authentically. If we lack patience at times, you can not only feel a level of incongruence but you will also be pushing down your inner beliefs. Personally, I can share other reflective moments of unhappy kids in cars, and wonder if this is every parents’ test of patience!
Relating this to your own daily obligations and weekly realities, we all have an ongoing list of what is expected of us and what we personally want to accomplish. The more we practice a level of mindfulness around what is possible for us in order to reach the level of personal fulfillment, allow for yourself to seek patience in your day to day. This does not need to be complicated, nor do you need to adopt a mindfulness practice, however, my suggestion is to be kind to yourself. Allow this practice as another way of self-care, the more patience we practice, the more we may be able to accomplish.
Carol S. Dweck, author of Mindset, shares those with a growth mindset and self-control are those who are looking to succeed, and will learn and practice strategies that will work for them. So there you go, another reason to increase your level of patience.
And if you are curious, I’ll still be getting my long awaited dog in the spring, as he will be a motivator for me to get outside, even on the days that are crazy cold.