“Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
On my way to write an article about patience I discovered a significant prerequisite for peace of mind and patience – acceptance. After all, how can you be patient if you don’t acknowledge and accept what is present in your life? When you resist or judge reality your outer world will reflect your inner discomfort.
Acceptance versus Chaos
Try this. Say the word acceptance out loud. Do you feel a sense of peace, grace and relief? Acceptance rides on the calming energy of knowing that everything is exactly as it should be. The opposite is to believe that life is haphazard and chaotic; this belief will not lead to patience, peace of mind and joy. Accept what is. Better yet, embrace what is.
Acceptance is a Choice- Your Choice
Your current life situation may not be your preference, and you may want to change things in your life; however, you must start with accepting what is present. Acceptance is not apathy. It is a choice and the choice is yours to make. Specifically, do not judge yourself, others, what is present in your life or the world in which we live.
Non-judgmental acceptance is a prerequisite for patience, calmness, happiness and successful personal and professional relationships.
Acceptance is a strong branch to perch on, especially in high winds. Very Smart Girls accept without exception.
Quotes on Acceptance and Patience
∞ “Happiness can exist only in acceptance.” Eleanor Roosevelt
∞ “Our entire life consists ultimately in accepting ourselves as we are.” Jean Anouilh
∞ “Accept yourself as you are. Otherwise you will never see opportunity. You will not feel free to move toward it; you will feel you are not deserving.” Maxwell Maltz
∞ “To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad. It seems almost paradoxical, yet when your inner dependency on form is gone, the general conditions of your life, the outer forms, tend to improve greatly.” Eckhart Tolle
∞ “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” Rumi
∞ “Patience is the companion of wisdom.” Saint Augustine
∞ “A man who is the master of patience is the master of everything else.” George Savile
∞ “He that can have patience can have what he will.” Benjamin Franklin
∞ “The years teach much what the days never know.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
photo credit: John A Ryan