5 Benefits of Patience and How to Develop This Great Quality

Patience…I am sick and tired of it.

No really, it seems like my entire life has been one test in patience after another. Whether I face a challenging circumstance, a difficult person, an internal obstacle, or even a goal I’m hoping to achieve, everything requires patience.

What about you? Do you find it difficult to be a patient person? At work? With your kids? On the road? In Walmart?

If you are like me your are endeavoring to enjoy slow living yet you probably catch yourself being impatient all the time. But the benefits of patience are truly worth the effort. In fact developing patience can make your life a lot more peaceful and happy.

So what are the benefits of patience and how can we learn to be more patient? Let’s dive in.

What is Patience?

First of all what does the word patience really mean? Does it mean letting things happen cause you aren’t strong enough or inclined to change them? Is it a weak person that is patient?

Not at all!

The dictionary defines patience as: “The ability to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.”

Another way to think of patience is as endurance with a purpose. When you are in a difficult circumstance or dealing with a difficult person you maintain hope that the situation will change for the better or the person can improve.

When you think of patience that way it is easy to see why it is such a beautiful quality. The importance of patience in life is that it helps us stay hopeful and who doesn’t need more hope?

The Benefits of Patience:

Now that we have pin pointed just what patience looks like we want to see what the benefits of patience can be be for us.

How could it change our life? And what will help us learn to be more patient?

Better Relationships

It’s very easy to see the value of patience in relationships but our relationships can be the thing that tests our patience the most.

We may get impatient with our spouse when they don’t do something we have asked them to do right away. It can be hard to be patient with children when they continue to do something you have asked them not too. We can even lose patience with our parents when they don’t understand something that we have showed them how to do.

But ultimately, when we show patience with the ones we love we are showing them that we are on their side. It proves to them that we believe in them and support them when we are patient as they grow and learn.

Also, bear in mind that a lack of patience is based in a prideful attitude. When you aren’t patient with other people in your life you are in essence saying that your way and your ideas and your timetable is more important than theirs.

Though our relationships in the family, with friends, and even at work may present a test to our patience when we figure out how to be more patient we will enjoy the benefits of patience including better relationships with people who feel drawn to and supported by us.

Endurance and Resilience

When hard times come our way we want them to end as soon as possible. That’s only natural. But sometimes hard times don’t end quickly. Sometimes a trial drags on and on. How can patience help?

Remember the definition of patience. Patience is the ability to accept or tolerate suffering without getting angry or upset.

This reminds me of the Pandemic. I think that time tested all our patience. It seemed like things would never get “back to normal” and we got tired of social distancing and staying home.

Those who accepted the situation for what it was suffered less than those who did not. They figured out how to enjoy time at home and how to be close with family without being physically near them. They adapted to new ways of doing things quickly.

On the other hand those who refused to accept the situation suffered more because they were just so angry and upset that every situation was a fight or a frustration.

When we learn how to be more patient and keep our cool during hard times it leads to “meaning making”. Meaning making is the ability to see what you can learn from a situation and that helps you endure.

This ability to patiently ride the ups and downs of life with enduring hope that things will get better leads to resilience where getting mad just gets you stuck.

Contentment and Joy

Patience is a beautiful quality that helps us with the people and situations around us. But the benefits of patience go beyond the external. It can also help us with internal conflict.

When we learn how to be more patient we find that we can wait for satisfaction. Instead of always looking for something to bring us joy we can stop and see what we already have. That helps you cultivate contentment and appreciation.

When you are always looking for external things to make you happy you are always “hangry” because that kind of satisfaction doesn’t last long. In fact studies show that the high we get from getting something new only lasts for about 15 minutes. Then that new thing is same old same old and we need something else for a dopamine hit.

On the other hand, if you learn how to be more patient you can tell yourself that you don’t need to buy that thing right now. You can do without it and see how things go for awhile. You may even find that you are content without it.

They say that it takes 20 minutes of eating to feel full so if you want to eat less you need to eat slower. Maybe it’s the same with life. Maybe you will feel more satisfied if you learn to slow down and patiently wait to feel satisfied and content.

I don’t know about you but when I feel full I feel happy. That patience and contentment will lead to joy.

Hope and Generosity

The importance of patience in life is that it helps you have a better attitude. When you learn to be more patient you learn to hope. You learn that the situation that is happening now isn’t what will be happening forever and that helps you get through.

When you have this attitude you are actually a very positive person. Your patience makes you think of the better things ahead, the solutions, and the relief. That puts your mind in a positive place instead of an angry, frustrated, impatient one.

When you have hope for the future you can get through almost anything.

And more than that when you are hopeful you are able to be more generous with others. That generosity shows in your patience with them as well as your desire to help them.

You are patient with people because you are not acting from a scarcity mindset, feeling like you have no time for them. Instead you see that you have time to work through the process with and truly listen to them.

This generous spirit will come through in other ways too. You may be able to spread kindness, help others materially or you may be able to serve others with some volunteer work.

The benefits of patience aren’t just for you. They are for everyone around you.

A Peaceful Heart

Finally, one of the best benefits of patients is a peaceful heart. When you are frustrated and angry all the time you raise your blood pressure and add unneeded anxiety to your life. That isn’t good for your heart physically or emotionally.

When you learn how to be more patient you learn how to regulate your emotions in difficult situations. You learn how to calm yourself when you are suffering or something you look for is delayed. Patience helps you look to the future with hope and endure the present with joy.

Your peaceful heart will also help you make better decisions.

Have you ever been in a hurry and as you tried to speed up you just made more mistakes, spilling and breaking things along the way? That’s because your nervous energy was making you frantic. But if you can be patient, even in the rush, you will do better work and make better choices.

A peaceful heart and a peaceful mind are priceless benefits of patience.

Will You Enjoy the Benefits of Being Patient?

It’s so easy to see the importance of patience in life. We all want to enjoy the benefits of patience we have talked about. It’s clear that patience is an important key to having a happy simple life.

But it’s easier said than done. Every day I catch myself being impatient and that impatience just causes suffering for me.

Still I try because I know that the more patient I can be with my family, my work, and the world around me the more I will enjoy life. Because I want to be a person who others love to be around, a person who is resilient, happy, hopeful, gererous and calm I’m gonna keep making patience one of my personal growth goals. I’m sure life will send me plenty more opportunities to learn how to be more patient.

What about you? Is patience a quality you could improve on? Do you want to enjoy the benefits of patience? Can you think of more benefits of patience? Please share in the comments below.