This week I want to take a deeper dive into my word of the year: P A T I E N C E
Not the kind of patience like when we’re waiting in line or sitting quietly while our life unfolds, although that’s somewhat related..
I’m talking about the radical, world-shifting practice of patience that rewires how we engage with ourselves, others, and this messy, beautiful, unpredictable process we call being human.
Patience is more than just waiting. When we are patient, we’re also releasing judgment – of ourselves, of others, of life itself. We’re welcoming in forgiveness, love, and compassion. It’s about loosening the grip of stress, softening the tight spaces in our minds and bodies where we hold on to control like it’s the only thing keeping us afloat.
But let’s face it… Patience can be hard. We’re wired to want things to be easy and to feel good. Patience is NOT that most of the time.
AND it’s challenging because it is a rebellious act in modern industrialized society. We’ve been trained – by colonization, capitalism, and systems built on urgency and productivity – to believe that impatience is not only normal… It’s necessary.
And the systems of colonization and capitalism don’t just create impatience, they thrive on it. It is a tool of control, a way to keep us striving, exhausted, and disconnected from the slow, sacred rhythms of life. Those rhythms – the rhythms of nature, healing, relationships, and community – don’t align with productivity metrics or quarterly goals. They’re designed for depth, connection, and growth.
So when we practice patience, we’re not just calming our nerves; we’re reclaiming time, energy, and agency. We’re saying, “I choose the slow, sacred path of my own unfolding.”
While patience is needed in places like the DMV and visiting the parents. patience also shows up in the relational, messy, everyday moments that really matter most. Like the time your friend disappoints you – again. Maybe they forgot something important or showed up late. Or when your mother criticizes you … again. Or when your partner doesn’t follow through on their commitment.
IMpatience wants to snap at them, write them off, or make it about their flaws.
Patience, on the other hand, invites us to pause, and consider what’s happening beneath the surface. It asks, “What’s their story today?” And “What does staying connected to them, instead of our own frustration, ask of us?”
Jack Kornfield said, “Patience is the capacity to bear a present difficulty without losing your way.” AKA it’s about staying with hard things without losing our shit;)
It’s about grounding ourselves in something deeper than the temporary discomfort of not getting what we want. It’s about staying with the moment, with the person, with the unfolding mystery of life.
Patience also expands our comfort zones, stretching into discomfort, not through force, but through trust. When we practice patience, we trust that growth is happening even when we can’t see it. We trust that the people we love are capable of transformation, that our own healing is unfolding at just the right pace, and that life knows what the hell it’s doing.
So patience isn’t passive at all. It is active, intentional, and deeply transformative. It’s a practice of forgiveness – of ourselves, others, and life – over and over again. It’s a way of opening up to life’s challenges with compassion instead of resistance. And yeah, it’s a quiet act of rebellion against the forces that tell us to hurry up, fix it, do more, be more.
The world doesn’t need more urgency. It needs more of us fully present, deeply connected, and radically patient.
You will learn:
// Why patience is such a difficult + rebellious act in today’s world
// The root causes of IMpatience
// What practicing patience is really all about (because it’s more than just waiting)
// What radical love has to do with patience
// Ways that patience shows up in the everyday moments that matter most
// The importance of patience in expanding our comfort zones and transforming ourselves
Resources:
// Episode 174: Decolonize Your Mind – A Story of My Mother and Me
// Episode 217: Patience on the Path
// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!
// Have you benefited from even one episode of the Rebel Buddhist Podcast? I’d love it if you could leave a 5-star review on iTunes by clicking here.