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The Power Of Perseverance

Success and perseverance go hand in hand. While you cannot succeed with perseverance alone, it serves as your guide through the darkest moments of your journey to success.

Perseverance is a steady persistence that, in spite of the obstacles, helps you continue moving forward. This section gives you motivational lessons on perseverance. Let these lessons inspire you to reach for your hopes and dreams.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

Read and Learn More How Leaders Can Cultivate Patience in an Impatient World ?

Everyone Starts Small.

Obstacles cannot stop you. Problems cannot stop you. Other people cannot stop you. Only you can stop yourself from growing.

Even the largest tree started as a small seed. Big things come from small beginnings. Michael Jordan was once nobody and so was Oprah Winfrey.

There was once a time when Mark Zuckerberg was a simple college student, but these three and many other famous people have one thing in common.

They did not let failures, rejections, and challenges discourage them from pursuing their dreams.

Right now, you may not have accomplished anything, but if you have fixed your sights on the goals you set for yourself, your perseverance and hard work will help you achieve what you want to achieve.

Remember, success does not come overnight. Your time for success will come if you stay persistent.

Do Not Stop Walking.

If you are on the right track, just keep walking. A Buddhist saying tells you to keep moving forward, “If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”

It does not matter if setbacks slow you down. What matters is that you keep going. You may not be where you want to be, but at least you are closer than you were yesterday.

Past failures and mistakes should never stop you from focusing on the journey ahead. What defines you is not whether you win or lose but, rather, how you rise up to the occasion.

When you win, accept it with humility and when you lose, accept it with grace. Triumphs and misfortunes hold lessons to be learned. Process the lessons and move forward.

Perseverance Is Equivalent To Hard Work.

Yes, perseverance is hard work! Quitting is easy. Making excuses is easy. There are a hundred reasons why you should not persevere.

When you have been trying to succeed but continue to stumble, it is easy to get tired and quit. You can say you are done with the struggles, so you do not want to try anymore.

You end up just being content with what you have, which may do more harm than good in the long run. Consider the saying, “No journey is too great when one finds what he seeks.”

Let this guide you in your quest to achieve your hopes and dreams.

Go All The Way To The Finish Line.

It is not about the prize, but rather, it is about how you got to it. It does not matter if you move slowly.

What matters are the lessons you learned along the way? Remember, anything that comes easy never lasts.

Success is a long-term commitment. You cannot quit in the middle of the race just because you encountered some roadblocks.

Persistence is the key that helps unlock the door to success. “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” – William Feather.

Those people who stayed and endured are the ones who found success, while those who made an excuse to quit are left with nothing to be proud of.

You have to “stubbornly persist, and you will find that the limits of your stubbornness go well beyond the stubbornness of your limits,” said Robert Brault.

Continue To Be Persistent.

Walter Elliott said, “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.” You have to live it. Do not live your life in your comfort zone, afraid to go outside the box for fear of failure.

Discomfort leads to growth, so without discomfort, you never improve. You have to be brave enough to stretch your limits.

Set goals and persevere. You may encounter twists and turns before you finally reach your goals, but you will grow and learn from the challenges.

There is no telling how far you have to run as you chase your dreams. You just have to keep on running.

Know That It Is Always Darkest Before Dawn.

Do not be discouraged when you have to go through much pain and suffering in your quest to achieve your dreams. Continue to persevere. “Do not be discouraged.

It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.” If you give up in the middle of the journey, you can never know what being victorious feels like.

Success is sweeter when you have to endure setbacks and mistakes, and you do not let them stop you from pursuing what you really wanted. Remember that all problems have answers.

You have to learn from your mistakes and cherish these lessons because they are now part of who you are. Problems, adversities, and challenges have shaped your character.

They are not stop signs, but rather, they are guidelines. They should not stop you from attaining your goals. Take the lessons with you because they will help you improve and refocus on what really matters.

Instead of cursing your problems, consider them blessings. Change your perspective of the world and watch your life change. Hardships are opportunities to learn and grow.

According to Charles Kettering, “Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it.”

Do not stop when faced with adversities. You just have to fight through the darkness in order to find the light.

There Are No Shortcuts.

Change does not come overnight. There is no way for anybody to achieve the impossible overnight. Why pursue the impossible then? It will build your character and make every victory sweeter!

Always aim for the impossible because not many people take that route. Those who take risks are usually the ones who succeed.

Listen to what Thomas Foxwell Buxton had to say, “With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.” You should not rush anything, especially your dreams.

With enough perseverance, you can accomplish any task and fulfill every dream just by taking each day as it comes. Learn to take baby steps.

Know that it takes time. Look at a beautiful butterfly that went through a lot of stages before it became such a beauty.

Learn to use your time and be determined enough to face the challenges that come your way. Fear is the opposite of faith, so replace fear with a strong faith in yourself and in a Supreme Being.

All in all, never set limits and always aim for the sky. Do not settle for easy goals because anything that comes easy may not be worth a try.

Do not let fear prevent you from doing great things. It will take time, but the journey is what truly matters.

“Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it.

Yet at the hundred-and-first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.” -Jacob Riis

True Grit

Grit, in psychology, is a positive personality trait. It is a non-cognitive trait, which simply means having perseverance and passion for long-term goals despite having to face a lot of obstacles.

Grit tells you to keep going even if everyone else has given up. This trait also measures your emotional intelligence and well-being.

People who are gritty stick to their dreams despite going through numerous failures.

Read and Learn More Prayers of Perseverance

How to Persevere More

So, how do you develop true grit and become more persevering? This chapter provides you with techniques on how to persevere.

Certain actions can help you face challenges and achieve your goals while allowing you to enjoy the journey.

When you persevere, you do not just get by, but you learn to enjoy and appreciate the journey. The first thing is to eliminate your self-doubt.

You need to begin trusting yourself and your abilities.

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius

Strengthen Your Resolve

Here Is What You Can Do:

1. Know What You Want. Have your goals all straightened out. Your goals must be clear and specific. Otherwise, you may lose sight of the end.

When you have a specific goal in mind, it is easier to plot a course of action to achieve it. Create a timeline, but do not let yourself obsess over the schedule.

Expect obstacles to run you off course and that is okay. These are just roadblocks, so overcome them and get back on track.

2. Do Not Second-Guess Yourself. As mentioned earlier, the first challenge you have to face is self-confidence.

No matter how much you desire to keep moving forward, when you do not believe in your own abilities, you cannot make progress.

You have been told to go for the impossible, but in order to do so, you have to remove all forms of self-doubt.

Remove self-doubt by avoiding comparison. If you look at other people’s achievements and find them superior to yours, you may lose confidence in your abilities.

You have to keep believing you have the abilities and the intelligence to succeed, and that you deserve it, just like everyone else.

3. Keep Your Cool. Do not sweat the small stuff or allow yourself to get caught up in stressful situations. Stress and anxiety zap your energy, preventing clear thoughts and logical actions.

Practice restraint, especially when faced with frustrating situations. Learn to think before you act, especially in an argument or discussion.

Most often, small office issues become overblown because those involved do not consider thinking first before reacting.

Should you encounter disappointments during the day, let go and move on. Do not dwell on one hostile encounter. Move on and channel your energy to more worthwhile tasks.

4. Do Not Let Haters Bring You Down. There will be people who try to bring you down. Do not take it too personally because their negativity is a result of their own personal issues.

Expect to encounter people who have a hard time dealing with the success of other people, too. They may be envious because they will never be like you. Do not let the negativity suck out the positivity from you.

5. Remember Your Values. When pursuing your goals and dreams, keep track of your core beliefs and values. There are people who, in their quest to become successful, often forget what they stand for.

Do not compromise your values just to succeed. Learn to understand yourself and the world around you.

However, you may encounter people with different beliefs. Do not shut them out completely. Use it as an opportunity to gain more perspective.

You just might gain some fresh insights on issues you struggle with. Maintain an open mind and listen to other people.

6. Continue To Enjoy Life. Perseverance Means Having To Spend Countless Hours Working Hard. However, spending all of your time on work can actually be detrimental to your success.

You may begin resenting work, which may result in a downward spin. Prevent that from happening by staying positive and enjoying life as it unfolds.

Include some time to relax and recharge in your schedule because you need the strength to continue working hard for your dreams.

Life can be upsetting sometimes, even without all the hard work your goals require. So, keep life light by taking a different perspective on it.

Set regular dates with your spouse or with your friends. Spend time with the kids. Have some time to yourself.

You do not need to forego having fun just because you want to attain your goals. Your life needs proper balance to prevent burnout.

Deal With The Challenges

Challenges add spice to life. You just have to know how to deal with them.

1. Be Realistic. Life is full of challenges. Life is hard, but you have the advantage when you can face obstacles head-on. It is easy to ignore a problem when it arises or even sugarcoat it to ease the hurt.

Some people may even put off making a big decision. Life’s challenges are not meant to be handled that way. You have to learn how to see these challenges through.

Learn to accept that in your journey toward attaining your goals, you will find yourself dealing with roadblocks. Do not make excuses. When you fail, take responsibility for your action or lack of it.

For instance, if you aim to publish a book but fail, you cannot blame your kids, your job, or your life. Remember that the power is within you.

If you do not find time to write, you will never even begin a chapter. Avoid turning to escapism when faced with adversities.

When you turn to alcohol or drugs, you only get temporary respite from the problems. Once you are sober, the issues are still there.

2. Consider Your Options. Do not rush into making decisions without thoroughly thinking through all the possibilities.

Do not look for shortcut solutions to problems because they may backfire in the long run. It is okay to ask for advice from loved ones or friends.

Get sound advice from people with wisdom and with the same experience. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of maturity.

3. Listen To Your Gut. Most of the time, your intuition can guide you in making difficult decisions. When you feel something could be wrong, you may be right.

4. When You Listen To Your Gut Feel, you have to let your conscience guide you. Your conscience should be a major player when making decisions.

At the end of the day, you have to consider if you have done the right thing. When you act with your conscience, you always make the best decision.

You can be confident that you did your best in dealing with the problem, even if it may bring about a setback in the end. The easy way is not always the right way.

The right path may sometimes be clear, but it can turn murky some days. Meditate, talk to people with wisdom, and pray. These are just three steps you can take to stay on the right path.

5. Make A Stand. Once you have made your decision, do not second-guess. Stand by it and back it up with everything you have.

If you know your decision was the right one, make a stand and take full responsibility. Expect to encounter criticism.

Your actions may not be popular, but if you know in your heart they are right, stand tall and firm. Avoid self-doubt. Draw your strength from knowing you weighed all your options carefully.

6. Learn From Mistakes And Failures. You cannot always get it right on the first try. You gain wisdom through the mistakes you make in life. Turn failures and mistakes into learning experiences.

Instead of dwelling on them, take the lessons and reflect on them. This way, next time around you do not make the same mistakes. Figure out ways to do things differently next time.

Remember that even the best have failed many times. Do not beat yourself up every time your plans go wrong. Instead, learn from the wrong turns and plot a new strategy. Get back on track to achieving your goals.

Stay Resilient

You have learned by now that life is not a walk in the park. There are ups and downs, so staying resilient in the midst of all the challenges is important.

1. Stay Healthy In Mind And Body. It is hard to stay focused when your mind is not healthy or when your body is out of shape.

Remember that in the pursuit of your dreams, there will be a lot of challenges. You have to stay healthy to get through the tough times.

Eat healthy and exercise, get enough sleep, and drink plenty of water. Make sure you live a healthy lifestyle.

2. Surround Yourself With People Who Support Your Endeavors. Accept the fact that no man is an island. You have to be part of a community in order to live a normal life.

The support of your family and friends is an integral part of your success. It is good to be a part of a group because you also have the opportunity to help others.

3. Keep The Right Perspective. Do not just get by, but learn to live! You have to work hard for your goals, but that does not mean you cannot enjoy life.

You also need to stop and smell the roses or enjoy the sunshine on your skin. The little things keep you sane, so notice them and appreciate them.

Perseverance does not mean you have to stop enjoying life -quite the opposite, actually. The more you persevere for your goals, the more you need to enjoy life as it comes.

Do not let life pass you by because you are too busy working. Get out, relax, and live your life.

4. Be Spiritually Fit. Overall health includes having a nourished spirituality. Most people spend too much time on other aspects of life and neglect their spiritual life.

If you belong to a church congregation, make sure you attend regularly. Pray for guidance and strength. Meditate to keep your mind relaxed and calm.

You can achieve inner peace when you meditate or pray. Commune with nature too, as it helps nurture your spiritual side.

5. Be True To Yourself. Do not compromise your values and beliefs for your goals. Persevere, but continue to align your decisions and actions with your core values.

To be able to show up with poise and composure regardless of what is going on – that is surely the meaning of resiliency. -Sherri Bishop

Remember, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.

In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, and how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou

Perseverance Helps You Soar To New Heights

Perseverance is all about pursuing a higher goal, but having perseverance alone does not ensure success. However, if you persevere in the pursuit of your hopes and dreams despite the challenges, then it has served its purpose.

How do you find success with perseverance? This list depicts what you need to do:

You Have To Set Your Goals.

Most people fail because they do not have something to work for. They have nothing to aspire for. Your goals serve as your inspiration to work hard and fight through setbacks, for without goals, there is nothing to work for.

However, you have to set goals that are larger than life. It does not mean you have to set goals that are hard to achieve, but you have to aspire for things that require work.

Read and Learn More Prayers of Perseverance

Having a prize to set your sights on gives meaning to your hard work, which jumpstarts your life. Without a big goal, you tend to give up at the first instance of adversity.

The older people consider the current generation lucky because there are no world wars to fight, no walls to tear down, and no Great Depression to worry about.

This generation also does not need to rebuild the country the way their forefathers did. With advancements in technology, they can practically do anything.

Most of the current generation fails to recognize the many possibilities in life. Thus, stop wasting your time and set a larger-than-life goal. When you set your goal, begin walking toward it.

Do not stop until you have reached that goal. Setbacks will be a part of that journey, but you should not let those setbacks prevent you from achieving what you want.

Stop once in a while to think about other options or alternatives that can make the journey easier, but do not stop because you failed somewhere along the way. Keep moving forward!

You Need The Right Frame Of Mind.

If you want to persevere, you need to have the right mindset. A proper perspective on things gets you through the challenges.

Having the right frame of mind does not mean ignoring the challenges. In fact, people who persevere actually expect to run into some obstacles.

They might even look forward to being challenged because that leads to growth. Everyone eventually faces adversities, but people with the right attitude toward them can become victorious.

The popular actor Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “I hear this all the time. As a matter of fact, I love it when someone says that no one has ever done this before because then when I do it that means that I’m the first one that has done it.”

What is the context of this quote and how does it relate to perseverance? Having the right frame of mind should include thinking about all the possible options you have to get past any challenges.

It could be something that no one has ever done before and the challenge is how to pull it off. In order to face difficult challenges, you need a strong foundation – something that cannot be shaken and broken.

You need to have strong confidence in yourself and in your abilities and an undeniable faith that you can rise above anything.

However, it is important to root your self-confidence in knowing you have the skills to overcome the challenges and not in a big ego. Having a huge ego does not get you anywhere.

In fact, it destroys you in the long run. When your self-confidence is powered by your skills, no one can take it away from you.

Some people may tell you to be realistic and that you should turn your optimism into realism. You have to believe in yourself and know you can achieve the impossible.

There are no rules and the word impossible should not be part of your vocabulary. When you set limits on yourself, you cannot achieve the success you hope for.

Realism may have its place, but it can only lead you to become average. Optimism, on the other hand, can lead you to greater achievements!

People who persevere focus heavily on their to-do lists, so when setbacks arise, they do not dwell on them.

Instead, the setbacks become lessons learned. These people do not view the setbacks as crises but instead as roadblocks to learn from.

When you face what looks like an insurmountable bump in the road, remind yourself that you have control over your situation. You have the power to turn it around.

Remind yourself that changing your whole perspective can actually make a big difference. Do you think you have gone as far as possible?

Do you think you have it hard? The answer is no! Much more awaits you, so stop stressing yourself out over a setback. Get through it and move on.

You Have To Make The Right Choices.

When you have the right mindset, you can make the right moves. The people who persevere have developed good habits, and they leave nothing to luck or chance.

Sometimes you have to be a little reckless. Everything starts with a goal. When you first start, you have not achieved anything yet, so you have nothing to lose by taking some risks.

No matter what you have accomplished in life and no matter how much wealth you have acquired because of your perseverance, remember that the journey is what truly matters.

The most important part is going through the process of achieving. The people who achieve more are those who go out of their comfort zones. They push themselves to perform better.

If you want to change your frame of mind to make the right choices, you have to associate with people who are ambitious and determined to succeed no matter what.

You do not want to be around people who contentedly go with the flow. Successful people do not go with the flow. Rather, they create ripples.

They do not question their abilities or set limitations on what they can achieve. Rather, they acknowledge their abilities to go above and beyond the expectations.

Do not second-guess yourself. You never know if you are capable if you do not try.

Active Vs. Passive Patience

Patience is the quality that makes a man able, not simply to suffer things but to vanquish them. William Barclay

If you’re running a 26-mile marathon, remember that every mile is run one step at a time. If you are writing a book, do it one page at a time.

If you’re trying to master a new language, try it one word at a time. There are 365 days in the average year. Divide any project by 365 and you’ll find that no job is all that intimidating. Charles Swindoll

Although the word ‘patience’ suggests a state where you are sitting around waiting for something to happen, God’s version of it demands a more active role.

For example, if you lose your job, should you sit patiently at home in front of the TV waiting for the perfect job to fall in your lap? Or do you need to seek out new opportunities?

Read and Learn More How Leaders Can Cultivate Patience in an Impatient World ?

If you are sick, do you shut off all access to doctors or other medical assistance, or do you try whatever it takes to get better?

Passive patience does little more than consume time. A good comparison may be a prisoner of war, waiting to be rescued. We are often captivated into believing that there is little that we can or should do than wait around for things to change.

Even a prisoner of war can do something. I love the story that James Ray tells about the six years he was a POW during the Vietnam War.

During this time, the prisoners whispered Bible verses back and forth, an act that became vital to their daily existence. There wasn’t much they could do, but the prisoners did what they could, and the shared verses became constant assurances of God’s love and care.

Active patience, then, is to wait without complaint, but always aiming for victory. That’s why you find it described in the Bible as a race – where you never become hopeless, or even just try to hold your own.

No, the goal with active patience is to make actual progress toward the objective every day.

…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing:

Remember Joseph who we met earlier? Well, he learned a lot of his patience from his father, Jacob, who had his share of trials to endure. Jacob was the twin brother of Isaac, the son of Abraham.

Jacob did a foolish thing and got his brother, Esau, mad at him, and so Jacob chose to escape his homeland to let things cool off. All that is a tale that could consume a whole different book, but our story begins with a well in the land of Haran.

Jacob had escaped home and headed toward Mom and Dad’s ancestral home. While resting by the well, Jacob fell head over heels in love with his cousin, Rachel (which was perfectly acceptable back in Jacob’s day).

He spent a month with Rachel and her relatives, before asking Rachel’s dad, Laban, if they could get married.

I know what you are thinking. Waiting a month to get married doesn’t sound very patient to me, either. When it comes to MY daughter, I plan on making the guy wait at least a couple of decades to make sure he is the right one for her!

And maybe Laban had that in mind when he told Jacob he could marry Rachel in seven years.

The truth is, Laban was one crafty dude, and he had discovered that Jacob was an excellent shepherd. The herds thrived under his care, and Laban tied up his obedience for seven years by making Jacob work for Rachel.

For Jacob, a man smitten, the seven years flew by, and it was soon time to marry the woman he loved. But alas, Laban pulled a fast one on Jacob and switched sisters at the wedding. The result: Jacob ended up marrying Leah, Rachel’s older sister instead.

Honestly, modern me can’t figure out how this happened. I have seen some full wedding dresses in my day, but even if they hid Leah’s identity during the marriage, how were they able to pull it off on the wedding night? Jacob must have been drunk that day is all I can say!

At any rate, the ruse worked, and Jacob woke up married to Leah, not Rachel. Jacob’s only alternative, according to Laban, was to stay and work for him another seven years to pay for Rachel as well.

Oh, don’t worry, Laban did have a heart. Jacob and Rachel married right away, and Jacob paid off his debt in arrears. Laban was surely one crafty fellow!

So Jacob worked obediently with Laban’s herds over the next seven years, and they grew and flourished. As did Jacob’s family. Leah, a baby-making machine, entered into a not-so-silent war with Rachel over who could produce the best offspring.

When the competition got ferocious, they had Jacob sleep with their maids too. Frankly, I have no clue how Jacob had any time to work with the herds of sheep. He was too busy producing 13 kids over the next seven years (one of which was Joseph of the many dreams).

When Jacob’s seven years of servitude were up, he was ready to leave. While Jacob had worked for the past fourteen years, he had little to show for it but two wives, two “maids” and thirteen hungry kids, twelve of them boys. He had to make some money!

So what happens? Crafty Laban hires him to work the fields and offers a portion of the flock as pay. Any part of the herd that was spotted or marked could be Jacob’s.

Jacob agreed and immediately started studying cross-breeding techniques. Soon, Jacob’s flocks were growing at a rapid rate. Laban, unhappy with the thought of losing his prize shepherd, changed the terms of his wages ten times over the next six years.

Meanwhile, Jacob worked without complaint through terrible weather, tolerated the theft of his flocks by Laban’s staff, and lost sleep while guarding against further theft and loss.

He managed the feud between his wives and was a father to all those kids. Still, Jacob patiently persevered until the time he and his family were finally able to return to his home.

How was he able to be so patient? Flashback twenty years to a few weeks before Jacob met Rachel at the well. He was traveling toward Haran and stopped to rest for the night. Jacob lay his head on a stone scattered by the road, and fell asleep:

And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground, and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and going down on it.

Then God was right before him, saying, “I am God, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I’m giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants.

Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they’ll stretch from west to east and from north to south. All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants.

Yes. I’ll stay with you; I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground. I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you.”

Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, “God is in this place—truly. And I didn’t even know it!” He was terrified. He whispered in awe, “Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s House. This is the Gate of Heaven.”

Jacob was up first thing in the morning. He took the stone he had used for his pillow stood it up as a memorial pillar and poured oil over it. He christened the place Bethel (God’s House). The name of the town had been Luz until then.

Jacob vowed a vow: “If God stands by me and protects me on this journey in which I’m setting out, keeps me in food and clothing, and brings me back in one piece to my father’s house, this God will be my God.

This stone that I have set up as a memorial pillar will mark this as a place where God lives. And everything you give me, I’ll return a tenth to you.”

Jacob could wait patiently for the time he and his family would return home by staying focused on God’s promise to protect Jacob and stick with him through thick and thin. A great reminder for all of us.

But another important lesson Jacob gives us is that while indentured to Laban, he didn’t just sit back and wait for it to be over.

He proactively learned the entire business of sheep herding. Not only did he learn how to manage a herd, but how to handle it in such a way that it flourished and grew.

Jacob learned how to communicate effectively with people, including a father-in-law whose sole aim was to detain him in Haran as long as possible.

He learned the complicated profession of cross-breeding to build his personal flocks in spite of his father-in-law’s deceit. In other words, Jacob was patient but continued to strive toward his end goal of returning home.

It is this type of active patience that will see us through each day that we have to wait. It is an optimistic approach to the day that keeps us moving forward in pursuit of our goals.

Patience With Circumstances

In every Christian’s life, there comes a time when we must wait for something to happen. Patience of this type asserts itself in two main ways:

waiting to achieve a goal and enduring a trial. There is frequent overlap between the two, but the key thing is that in both circumstances, our impatience is not directed outward towards others, but upward towards God.

Just as we get annoyed when our children can’t wait for us, I imagine this bothers God. A lot. But we can give thanks that His response to us is to give us another chance, and another, and another.

Read and Learn More How Leaders Can Cultivate Patience in an Impatient World ?

It is often said that the lessons we learn and the person we become while enduring a trial of circumstance can mold us into better and stronger Christians. In fact, James tells us to consider these trials a joy:

When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4) One thing is sure: we can all use some continuing education to build our patience with trying circumstances.

Waiting to Achieve a Goal

Perhaps you want to start a business, lose weight, or find a mate. Or you may dream of earning a million dollars, starting a charity, or climbing a fourteener.

There are as many possible goals as there are people on this earth, and God has given us all the desire to strive for the things we don’t have:

Despite your best efforts, it hasn’t happened the way you had hoped yet, which is frustrating, especially when Satan is so quick to show you other people who are making it big time in whatever area you have set your goal.

Did God forget about me? Worse, does he just not care? Even worse, is he out to get me? Despite our commitment to walk with the Lord, most of us have whispered these same questions at one time or another when our dreams haven’t happened at the speed and intensity we want them to.

“Timing is so important! If you are going to be successful in dance, you must be able to respond to rhythm and timing. It’s the same in the Spirit.

People who don’t understand God’s timing can become spiritually spastic, trying to make the right things happen at the wrong time.

They don’t get His rhythm – and everyone can tell they are out of step. They birth things prematurely, threatening the very lives of their God-given dreams.” T. D. Jakes, We often forget that God’s timing is not necessarily our timing.

Just because we think something should happen by a particular time, that doesn’t mean our worldly goal fits in with God’s heavenly plan. We know that God loves us and wants to give us the desires of our hearts.

But it is often so hard not to grab onto the controls and try to make it happen on our own. We need a good deal of patience in these situations. It helps to remember at these times that God’s Word is full of his promises of perfect timing:

Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time.

It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.

Enduring a Trial

Sometimes bad stuff just happens to us that requires our patient endurance. Maybe you or someone you love is going through a dangerous illness, has been laid off, or is suffering an addiction.

Perhaps you are still looking for your soul mate or are unable to conceive a child. Being patient through a trial can be very hard. Physical and mental limitations keep our negative vibrations in focus and push our natural positive emotions back.

It’s hard to see how God is working in the situation and, unlike working toward a goal, it often seems as though there is little we can do to improve it.

The sobering truth is that the world is full of sin, and because of that, life will be hard at times. To be patient at these times, we need to prepare ourselves in advance and accept that things won’t always go as we wish or plan.

I was taking a hike with my daughter a few months back, and we came to a river crossing. We stopped for a while, and my daughter discovered some beautiful rocks and pebbles polished by the force of the water brushing the rocks against each other.

Before the river’s powerful current transformed these rocks into beautiful treasures to be discovered by my eight-year-old, the intense water pressure had to pound on the rubble for hundreds of years.

It wasn’t a gentle or pleasant process. And the inherent nature of the stones didn’t change; they were still the same old rocks. And yet, through an intense and even fierce process, what once was average and easy to overlook had become a young girl’s prize.

Because the process is so unbearably slow, we often miss the incredible changes that life’s erosion is causing in us.

If we can patiently endure and trust that God has our back through our trials, we will start to discover hidden strengths and qualities that we didn’t know we had before.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. We give great honor to those who endure suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance.

Staying Optimistic While Enduring Trials Of Circumstance

Active patience requires many other positive traits, including determination, endurance, compassion (Jacob must have been able to feel compassion for Laban all those years despite his poor treatment), and, most of all, faith.

Each of these traits comes from the root of positive, optimistic thinking. If we can improve our ability to think positively, we will come a long way in our quest to become more actively patient with our circumstances.

The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Winston Churchill When dealing with situations that seem out of our control, we will all have the occasional negative thoughts.

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Consider Job’s story for a moment. Job is possibly the most well-known example of patience under extreme trials in the Bible, with an entire book dedicated to his story.

An interesting lesson from Job is that, while he remained committed to God throughout his trials, that didn’t stop him from crying out in despair.

He was as human as we are, and just because we are Christians doesn’t mean we won’t be scared, anxious, and disappointed. God is okay with us calling out to him in our pain.

Nevertheless, always dwelling on the negative side of the equation will not help us develop patience. It just gives Satan a more fertile field to plant his seeds.

Our thoughts are what drive our emotions, and negative and irrational thinking will lead to unhealthy emotional states. Here are some ways to help shape your thought patterns to be more positive and less negative.

Declare Emotional Independence from the Situation. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

The truth is that regardless of what happens to you, your emotions are not determined by the circumstances or what others think, say, or do. You have the choice about how you will feel at any given time.

Don’t take things people say and negative things that happen in your life personally. But make sure to take all the wonderful compliments you receive and positive events that occur in your life very personally!

You have the control to accept what you hear and experience or not. By allowing the positive and rejecting the negative, you will attract more of the former and less of the latter into your life. Spend each day as if it were the day before vacation.

Think back to the last vacation you took. The day before, weren’t you excited and optimistic over what was in store? When we prepare for a holiday.

We look forward to the adventure ahead; we don’t fear what will happen. That is the perfect attitude to bring with us every day, whatever the day may bring.

Rid yourself of catastrophic talk. As discussed in Chapter 4, the words we use to describe an experience can make all the difference in the world. It won’t make it better to zero in on how bad a situation is, or use highly negative words to describe it.

It just deteriorates your already weak emotional state and your capacity to handle the situation, causing even more negative results. So instead of thinking and speaking in black or white: “This is a DISASTER!”, try to see it in shades of gray: “This sure is a setback, what a challenge.”

Beware of the “Yabbut!” “Yabbut” has killed many a great idea and instantly adds a negative vibration to a situation. I’m sure it’s happened to you before: you have an excellent idea; you spell it out with great enthusiasm, and get in return:

“Yabbut, we can’t do that because…” Try to say “yes, and…” instead of “Yabutt.” It keeps a positive charge in the air and opens the possibilities of new solutions.

Similarly, work toward describing your present and how you want your future to become. If someone says “Hi, How are you?” give up the standard “fine” and answer “Terrific, never better!” Soon you will find that you are, indeed, feeling fabulous!

Finally, it’s a good idea to rid your talk of all “lemon words.” Those of us with children know that a “lemon word” is a profane statement. You know…one that makes your mouth pucker up when it is said! But we aren’t just talking four-letter words here.

Even socially acceptable words and phrases such as “shut up,” “stupid,” and “hate” have no place in an optimistic person’s vocabulary. Be creative instead and find more positively charged and empowering words to describe what you are thinking.

Don’t give in to Hopelessness. “I can’t take this anymore,” or “I don’t think I can go another day,” don’t help improve your situation at all. The mere fact that you are standing there making such a statement proves you wrong.

Hopelessness creates the most negative vibrational pull there is, and succumbing to it will eventually drag you to a place from which you can’t recover.

Focus on God’s promises and prepare some positive declarations to help pull you out of the hopeless cycle; this will help you build the optimistic patience you need to overcome your circumstances.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. (Revelation 21:4)

Overcoming Other Challenges With Our Circumstances

As optimistic as we may be, we are sure to encounter challenges that will try our ability to practice active patience during troublesome situations.

The first challenge to overcome is to accept that, despite the goals we may have set or the outcome we hope to attain from a situation, we have no guarantee that God will satisfy our desires.

We might not get that dream job or be cured of our illness. While God can and has performed miracles, He isn’t a genie up in the sky booming “YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND!” to everything we may want.

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God is sovereign and because of that knows best of all how to achieve His plans. The truth is that most of the circumstances that require our patience do not include specific promises from God.

God has promised to meet our needs, but that isn’t a guarantee that all of our wishes will come true.

It’s easy to interpret the above verse to mean we can get whatever we want if we just believe enough, but that thinking has a few flaws.

First, it doesn’t take into consideration the first part of the verse, that we should take delight in the Lord. In other words, trust that His plan is primary, not our desires.

Second, we may not even know what the desires of our hearts are. We are bombarded daily with worldly influences and the devil’s prodding.

While we may believe that one thing is what we want in life, we might be missing out on something even better. Is the first the desire of our heart just because it is known? Who better, God or us, to know what will make us truly happy?

I think about a friend of mine who was feeling discouraged in life. His work wasn’t satisfying, and that frustration was starting to spill over into his family and personal life as well.

He began to self-medicate with too much TV and rich food. Over time, he became more and more out of shape and started to put on the pounds. That added stress did little to improve his attitude toward life.

Then, one day he was hit with a case of gout. You may be aware that gout is an inflammatory condition that affects the foot. It is very painful and can spread all the way up the leg, causing extreme discomfort, to the point where concentration on anything else is nearly impossible.

My friend saw his doctor, who frankly told him it was the wrong food and lifestyle choices that were giving him his pain, and challenged him to clean up his eating habits and get healthy again—the alternative: a future of painful gout attacks.

He agreed to give it a try, but like breaking free of any stronghold, it wasn’t easy. He went through the entire grief process. Denial: “It isn’t what I eat, maybe I have a broken ankle or a tumor…” Anger: “Why did this happen to me?”

Bargaining: “Okay, I’ll be good for a month, then I can go back to my old ways…” Depression: “I’m never going to be able to eat anything but salad for the rest of my life.” And finally, Acceptance: “Whole grain is not so bad, and it fills me up for a long time!”

In just three short weeks, my friend is reporting not only much less pain from gout but also a fresh and more creative outlook on his work and with his family and friends. His life is back on the right track, and some of his stalled dreams have revived.

My point with this story isn’t to start eating more healthily (although this is not a bad idea), but to ask you to understand that sin and Satan’s attempts to derail us keep us chained to the mundane when God has greater things in store for us.

So even if we don’t get the desires of our hearts, we shouldn’t lose patience or get angry with God. He knows what the real desires of our hearts are, and will settle for nothing less. We shouldn’t either.

Discerning God’s Will

It’s clear that in nearly every instance, active patience is preferable to passive patience. However, it is often hard to determine whether or not we are using active patience as we wait on God’s timing, or trying to control a situation through our actions.

The line is thin and easily blurred, even for the most diligent. Discerning God’s will can be one of the most elusive and frustrating parts of active patience. Suppose you are waiting to find your ideal mate.

You meet several men you like. How do you know which (if any) is the one God has chosen for you? It can be so hard!

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There aren’t a lot of concrete techniques or strategies out there for effectively discerning the will of God. Each person communicates with God differently.

Admitting that you talk to God regularly (and that you are listening for him to talk back) can be misinterpreted as a little crazy. So radio silence results.

But there are things you can put into practical use that will better open up the communication channels between you and God and help you to discern His will. Here are a few ideas.

Make Jesus Your All-Time Mentor. “What Would Jesus Do?” the title of a book by Charles Sheldon, as well as the phrase stamped on countless bracelets, t-shirts, and Christian schwag is the right question to ask.

When we have a mentor we trust, it is common to think about how they would react in a situation before we respond. Jesus tells us that He is our all-time mentor in life:

But we live in the modern world, and He came from a simpler time! How can we know what Jesus would have done in our situation?

While it is true that the period Jesus lived in was less technologically advanced, people were still people, and there was plenty of modern-day intrigue that occurred. They still struggled with hatred, jealousy, greed, lust, and dishonesty the same as today.

While Jesus’ teachings to his disciples and other followers may not explicitly tie to something we are struggling with today, there are plenty of general guidelines in the Bible that we can apply to our personal circumstances.

Reading and studying the Bible will strengthen our relationship with Jesus, which will help us discern His will.

Just as working with and spending time with a mentor helps us to learn how to succeed in a particular profession, spending time in God’s word will help us to find out how to succeed in life.

Seek the Advice and Counsel of Others. God has placed advisors and other godly people in our lives to help us discern His will for us. Maybe it is someone close to you such as your spouse, pastor, or another good friend.

But you can also get advice and counsel by reading or listening to Christian authors and speakers. Frequently, I find that when I am struggling with a problem or concern, I may be talking to.

Reading or listening to a mentor on an entirely different subject when the solution to the problem reveals itself. God can work through our mentor’s words to help us understand our problems better, even if we don’t share the specifics.

Be open to these moments by always filling and refilling your heart and mind with more God-inspired information.

Pray, whenever you need God’s guidance and direction:

We never have to worry about asking a dumb question or feeling unworthy to ask God for what we need and want. God wants us to pray about everything – as that is our primary form of communication with Him!

Listen For God to Speak Through Your Circumstances. If we believe that God is perfect and that He has a plan for us, then we have to believe that God is in control of our lives – regardless of our circumstances.

We may be in an uncomfortable place – we have lost our job or had a fight with a good friend. Even when we are sick with little chance of recovery or going through a financial crisis, God is in control of our lives.

I don’t believe that God is the one who causes those bad things to happen to us. We’ve lived in a sinful world since the fall of Adam and Eve and Satan is just loving the havoc he can create in our lives. But I don’t think God sees what is happening with surprise or confusion about how

something like that could happen. He didn’t mess up, and He knows how what happened will work for the good of His ultimate plans. We can’t see it, but we can believe in Him.

Additionally, God talks to us through the opportunities that come our way. It’s unnecessary for us to stew and agonize over a potential opportunity.

Remember the saying from the Sound of Music: “When a door closes, somewhere God opens a window.” We should be on the lookout for those open windows and be willing to climb through them.

Follow Your Conscience. God has put into each one of us a “thermometer” that tells us whether a situation is right or wrong. Often overlooked, it is that feeling in your gut that tells you to do something or not to.

When a contemplated action is wrong, you will feel uncomfortable, guilty, or confused. When it is right, you feel excited, motivated, and at peace, all at the same time.

Be careful, though to always read your conscience in conjunction with the other tools God

provides us for discerning His will. Satan can work in you to train your conscience for evil rather than good. Never stop praying and studying God’s word together with following your conscience to know best what God wants you to do.

Above all, seek God’s will with an open mind and a willingness to do anything for God, not just what we want or like to do. The goal isn’t to get God to do what we want but to get us to do what God wants.

Remember, God loves you more than anything, and so if what you want is in line with what he wants, he won’t deny you. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion?

Patience With Yourself

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.

Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them- every day begin the task anew.” Francis de Sales

Ultimately, any impatience – with others or with your circumstances, can be even further exacerbated if you are impatient with yourself.

It’s easy to blame another person or your circumstances rather than admit that you are disappointed with your performance.

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It’s hard to live up to the standards you impose on yourself when you’re not patient with yourself when you make mistakes. You waste valuable time beating yourself up.

Impatience with yourself can lead to frustration, anxiety, disappointment, lowered self-esteem, and all kinds of negative thoughts and feelings.

You may even experience physical effects on your body, such as tensing in your neck and shoulders, extreme fatigue, and incomplete breathing.

We’d all like to be perfect, but only God is perfect. We’d all like to avoid the discomfort of messing up, but that can’t happen, either. The truth is, we are all just a work-in-progress.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. It is okay to acknowledge our weaknesses so that we can work to correct them.

Don’t let your mistakes and challenges cause you to lose your enthusiasm for personal improvement and spiritual growth.

God has high expectations for us, but he also knows we are going to mess up. God is the God of second chances, and He will always be patient with us. We need to follow his example and learn to be patient with ourselves.

Remember that God is the one doing the work in us. Keeping that in mind will help to lighten the burden we feel to get better faster.

God will work with us on his own time, and all we can do is cooperate. We do that by building and improving on our talents and abilities so that we can become the best we can be.

Is there anything that can help you become more patient with yourself? All of the strategies and techniques presented thus far can help in this area as well.

Also, we all need to do our best to slowwww dowwwwwn. In our quest to get as much done in a day as humanly possible plus ten more things, it is very easy to get impatient with ourselves, especially if we can’t focus on the things that matter to us.

We get so busy doing what we have to do that there is little time for the things we want to do. And that makes us frustrated, unfulfilled, and yes, impatient with ourselves. Here are some ways to help us to slow down and focus on the things that matter to us:

Release stress and anxiety. Periodically throughout the day, take a quick assessment of your stress level. Do you have tense shoulders, arms, or legs? A headache? Having trouble concentrating on one thing? These are all signs of pent-up stress.

I find when I am most stressed my breathing becomes very shallow, making it difficult to get enough air, and making me feel exhausted.

When we have built up stress and anxiety, impatience is a frequent result. It starts with ourselves, and our inability to “get it all done.” Then it travels outwards to impatience toward other people and our circumstances.

It’s important to remember to release the mounting stress throughout the day rather than wait for the volcanic explosion that will come if it builds up.

Try to get some exercise each day and a healthy dose of motivation through God’s word and other inspiring speakers and authors.

If you feel stress starting to escalate, take several large, cleansing breaths and purposely slow your motions until you feel yourself calming.

Another thing that can help if you feel stress rising is to stop multitasking for a while.

We are fortunate to live in an age where we can achieve multiple things at the same time through instant messaging, email, and other convenient technology.

But long hours of piling one thing on top of another will take its toll. If you start to feel the stress of overload, pick just one task to work on for a half hour or until you feel yourself relaxing again.

Multi-task overload can even take over in the car; this is one of my weak spots. I drive many hours a day. On particularly busy days I have caught myself listening to the radio.

Trying to carry on a conversation, monitoring my text messages, taking notes on stray thoughts, and reading my Kindle at stoplights; not to mention trying to be a good driver.

I can almost see the stress expanding inside the car as I stack more and more on. It’s a wonder that when I finally open the doors, the vehicle doesn’t just combust.

I am slowly learning to shut it all down and just ‘drive’ instead of trying to conduct an entire day’s business in the car, which is helping to make me a more patient person all through the day.

Build your confidence in yourself and your abilities. Impatience with ourselves may happen when we feel that we don’t have control of a situation and that we have been let down (or have let someone else down).

We may even feel that our hands are tied. You want something to happen now, but you cannot seem to do anything to speed things up. When this type of thinking overtakes you, it’s time to sit back and remember something.

Remember, you aren’t in control, God is. You can’t do anything on your own to speed things up or make it right. God is on your side. God has chosen you, has created you, and you are a new creation in Him.

Blanket yourself in the knowledge that with God, all things will work out perfectly. Then go about your day with confidence and assurance in your God-given abilities.

Don’t fight or rail against it. Realize that patience and faith go hand in hand, and God is with you every step of the way.

Develop Perseverance. Active patience is critical when we are trying to be patient with ourselves. Nothing happens as quickly as we would like it to, and we must press on through the urge to quit.

I keep a magnet on my refrigerator that says P.U.S.H.: Pray Until Something Happens. I often think of that when I am discouraged by how long something is taking.

C.S. Lewis said “What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.” And another, and another. After all, consider the alternative. What will happen if you do quit?

Paul is a great example to us of the attitude of perseverance. Throughout his ministry, he was persecuted, thrown in jail many times, and disdained by many.

He starved, he was cold, and he regularly traveled, enduring many hardships. He died a painful death when he was beheaded in Rome, not knowing if he ever actually reached his earthly goal.

But Paul’s attitude of perseverance lives on and is an example we can all follow. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing:

Dealing With Conflict

No matter how patient and understanding you become, you will experience conflict with others from time to time. God’s word teaches us that it is always best to deal with conflict through understanding and love:

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

Experts agree there are five methods for dealing with conflict as it arises:

1. Attack! Attacking is the least effective method and the most contrary to how God wants us to behave in this world. When we attack, we lash out aggressively at the conflict and the person.

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Because emotions and adrenaline are high, it is very tempting to use this method when dealing with conflict. But keep in mind that the source of the conflict is Satan, who loves to stir up trouble.

When negative, hurtful emotions are present in a situation, Satan slithers in and makes it even worse. The good news is, that Satan doesn’t have any ammunition against gentleness, compassion, understanding, or love.

If we can learn to deal with conflict using these tools, his meddling will be obstructed, and God’s love can get to work.

2. Avoid. When you avoid conflict, you are running away from it. Your hope is not to resolve it, but for it to just go away altogether. While this approach is preferable to attacking, it doesn’t get to the root of the conflict.

Often, you don’t avoid it at all – you just move the conflict inside of you. You feel hurt and wronged, spend lots of time and negative emotions thinking about the conflict, and may even subconsciously look for ways to get even with the other person.

The final three methods for dealing with conflict are much more productive and preferable in God’s eyes. Also, they will bring you more peace of mind. Each has its useful place, depending on your relationship with the person.

3. Walk Away. While this method may appear similar to “avoid,” it is entirely different. When you walk away from a conflict, you are consciously deciding that it does not affect your goals, and it is not important enough to give attention. So you just let it go and forget about it.

When you develop the ability to walk away from a petty or inconsequential conflict, you develop a positive reputation for being even-minded and understanding. You are better able to manage your time and emotions and stay focused on your purpose in life.

4. Prevent. You may be able to anticipate the potential conflict and take action to prevent it before it even occurs. This strategy is different than “avoid” or “walk away” because you are proactive.

It is a preemptive resolution! When you prevent a potential conflict, you are better able to develop high-quality solutions and demonstrate excellent leadership qualities. Here are a few ideas to prevent conflict:

Don’t allow a minor argument to turn into a big one. To do this, you have to be able to step back, analyze your emotions, and make the commitment to find a solution to what is bothering you and the other person.

Analyze expectations in advance. Conflicts often develop when someone has unmet expectations. If communication with someone is getting rough, take a step back and try to determine what the other person expected that didn’t happen.

Recognize that the other person is looking at the world with different perceptions than you are. Everyone sees things a little differently based on their background, personality, and culture, and if this isn’t understood, then you may not be able to prevent conflict.

Recognize that mistakes happen. Sometimes, people just make unintended errors. Before blowing up, do a reality check and ask yourself if what is bothering you could be the result of a mistake.

If you made a mistake, apologize and work toward correcting it. If it is the error of the other party, identify it objectively and work toward correcting the mistake and preventing a conflict.

5. Resolve. Finally, if you can’t walk away from or prevent the conflict, you must take action to investigate the source, use problem-solving skills, and try to find a solution that works.

By taking the initiative to resolve conflicts when they arise, you reduce stress, create positive rather than negative energy, and improve your relationships. Here are a few ideas to assist in resolving conflict:

Commit to working it out. A positive impact will instantly result when you promise to find a resolution. It can turn a negative situation positive one immediately.

Ask Questions. Most of the time, the conflict occurred because of poor communication. As part of your goal to resolve the dispute, ask lots of questions, which will help to get to the root of the conflict and resolve it much more quickly.

Eliminate the E’s. Do not allow exaggerations, embellishments, or egos to get in the way of working toward a resolution.