Patience, Pt. 2: Developing the Skill
Waiting for the follow up to my first post about Patience has been an exercise in patience of its own. I’m not referring to patience on the part of my Sub Stack subscribers - who I’d like to believe have better things to do than sit around thinking about a follow-up to a post I made almost two months ago. Rather I’m referring to the skill of self-patience.
Of all the people we encounter in our lives, there is always one person that is the most difficult to be patient with: yourself. We all have desires, needs, and wants in life. And to achieve those ends requires persistence, diligence, and the patience to know that the results you want to see in life are not always immediate or apparent from the daily actions you take to get there. This can be frustrating, and lead to feeling like you are just going through the motions every day, barely struggling to accomplish even a percentage of the tasks at hand. And this is all before the inevitable twists and turns that life likes to throw at us along the way that can turn what could have been a productive day into a massive diversion from the course.
If the above sounds at all like you, I hope I can pass along some tips that have helped me achieve greater patience with myself in life. In my very first Sub Stack post, I hinted at some ways I’ve been able to slow things down in my chaotic mind.
Today, I’m going to touch on a few of routines in my own life that have helped me to do so. Keep in mind, I am by no means an expert in any of these areas, and my descriptions of them largely come from my own experience, so don’t take it as anything more than that.
If you want to really deep dive into any of this stuff - especially when it comes to various types of yoga practices - you should do so under the guidance of a trained expert.
Ashtanga Yoga: This is not the basic yoga you might take at your local gym. This is an intensive yoga practice that was originally designed for Indian military training. I try to do this at least twice per week. This practice can be intimidating and frustrating at first, but that’s all a part of the journey. The ability to maintain focus and work through feelings of frustration builds strength in both your body and your mind.
Fasting: Over the last few months my wife and I have begun to fast twice a month - on the full moon and the new moon - for 26 hours at a time. During this time I will only drink water and sometimes a black coffee. There may or may not be science behind fasting on those days and I’m not going to state a scientific opinion one way or another. But I will state that the practice itself has done wonders for me. It feels like a hard “reset” of my body every time, and seems to jumpstart my metabolism. It washes away any residual effects or just plain guilt I made have from eating something crappy that week. But ultimately, much like the yoga, the physical benefits lead directly to mental benefits. The discipline of compartmentalizing your brief and fleeting feelings of hunger along the way is another practice that requires and helps develop the skill of patience.
Guided meditations: As I discussed in my first post on this subject, meditation in no way comes naturally to me. In fact, it can feel downright painful at times to try clear away my thoughts on focus on my breathing. But I have found guided meditations tremendously helpful in the regard. To have a voice guiding me through a meditation has lets me focus on that voice and the music and before I know it I’m off to meditation-land.
Where to start? There are apps like Breethe and Calm that have free meditations available. My friend Pete Quinones and I discussed meditation in a recent podcast, and in that interview he mentioned a meditation practice that he does daily. Here’s a link to it. And I’d be remiss not to mention that my amazing wife - who has directly inspired me to undertake most of the practices I list here - has done some guided meditations of her own. This guided meditation for night time is a great way to put your mind at ease as you drift into the dream world.
Conscious eating: I am not going to recommend any specific diet here, but the overall idea of being mindful about what I am putting into my body has has a direct impact on my physical and mental well being. As a general rule, eliminating sugar - particularly from sodas, candy bars, beer, etc - is a huge first step. I still partake from time to time to be certain, but when I do it’s a conscious thought process and an exception, as opposed to what I did for many years - consume, consume, and consume without any regard for what the substances I was ingesting might be doing to my body. For someone who wants to calm their mind, constantly intaking sugar is going to be huge hindrance. Eat real food, and cut the crap.
Kundalini Yoga: Yes, yoga makes the list twice! In the last few months I have begun to practice kundalini yoga under a very experienced, trusted guide. This yoga, while physically challenging at times, also incorporates elements such as breathing exercises, meditations, mantras, and even chanting and dancing at times. No matter how absurd it may feel at the time, the effects can be profound. What ashtanga yoga has done for my body and mind, kundalini has done for my soul. This is the practice I will caution the most about. Kundalini is not something to be undertaken lightly, and should only be done under the guidance of a very trusted guide. Many kundalini organizations have become akin to modern day cults. But this is separate from the practice itself, which has helped transform my spirit in ways that I will probably need several more posts to fully describe.
These are practices I largely undertaken in only the last six months or so, and the changes have been profound. In my next post on this subject, I’ll dive into some real world examples of how this has impacted my daily life.
Until then, check out all my current projects here!
Lions of Liberty, where I facilitate conversations with the hopes of inspiring others to achieve more liberty in their lives.
Second Print Comics podcast, where myself and Remso Martinez take a weekly look at the comic book characters, storylines and events that shaped our fandom.
Book a Podcast Consulting call with me on Clarity.FM or reach out to me directly if you’re thinking about launching your own podcast!
The Expat Money Show - This isn’t my project, but I’m thrilled that I’ve gotten to work directly with my friend Mikkel Thorup to help grow this show over the past few months. I believe greatly in what Mikkel is doing - helping others to achieve greater liberty in their lives by living and investing abroad - and helping grow this program has been a true joy. I also get to help moderate The Expat Money Forum on Facebook - check it out!