We all know that patience is a virtue. Did you also know, however, that it’s very good for you? For example, it leads to better mental health, better relationships with friends and neighbors and helps us achieve our goals – to name but a few. In other words, though it might be a quiet virtue, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one.
Of course, nowadays patience is in short supply. Many people are rushing from A to B while yelling on their phones at person C. That means we could use a little bit of help to get us going. Fortunately, it’s out there. There are plenty of books that promise to teach you patience.
Here we’ve collected together 10 such titles for your perusal. So hurry up and read on!
The Power of Patience: How to Slow the Rush and Enjoy More Happiness, Success, and Peace of Mind Every Day
M. J. Ryan has written a number of books about how to change yourself for the better. She’s also an executive coach to senior executives and their ilk. In her 2003 book The Power of Patience, she deals with teaching people how to be more patient and get more out of life.
In this book, she teaches you how to slow the rush and reclaim this forgotten virtue not just overall, but on a daily basis. In this way, you’ll be able to make better decisions and feel more centered and better about yourself.
What’s not to love about that? Here are some things that other authors have said:
«This book is a true gift to the world. It’s insightful and full of calm, helpful wisdom» – Richard Carlson, author of «Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff»
«Many good people, myself included, have problems with impatience and will benefit, as I did, from this lively, insightful book» – Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of «When Bad Things Happen To Good People»
Patience: A Little Book of Inner Strength
As Eknath Easwaran’s grandmother used to say, “Patience is the ornament of the brave”. He takes it a step further. For him, it is also the mark of love. In his book, he offers us many insights into how to be more patient.
What’s more, he does through humor, interesting anecdotes, and practical advice. This makes the book easy to read, as it’s filled with bite-sized bits that will give you great insights without forcing you to sit down for hours.
Because who has time for that?
So check out his book Patience: A Little Book of Inner Strength.
Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living
Allan Lokos is the founder and guiding teacher of The Community Meditation Center in New York City. As such, he has a great deal of experience in teaching patients, both in person and in writing. The New York Times agrees with me there. They say, “Allan Lokos has an arsenal of tools for coping with stressful situations.”
In his book, he tell us about how important patience is to survive the rollercoaster of life. Then he provides us with a roadmap to help us achieve more patience in our life. His main source of inspiration is his many years of teaching Buddhism and spiritual teacher. And I ask you, can you think of a better source of learning patience than those two areas?
If not, pick up Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living.
Here’s what some other people have said about it: “Patience is a thoughtful and always interesting book, and one that engages our attention. It challenges many of the assumptions and misconceptions we have about ourselves and the world. It offers us the means to find release from self-inflicted (and other-inflicted) pain. As The Beatles sang many years ago, "we all want to change the world." Patience would be a terrific place to start.” –The Huffington Post
"Along with suggesting exercises and meditation practices for cultivating mindfulness and patience, Lokos offers testimonials from individuals who have enhanced their lives by learning patience. His laugh-out-loud chapter on raising children is a treasure. A great deal of the world's problems could be solved by taking Lokos's advice." — Susan DeGrane, Booklist
How to Be More Patient: An Essential Guide to Replacing Impatience with Patience
Greg Souchester points out that in today’s world, where everybody is all about instant gratification and credit cards allow you to pay with money you don’t have, it’s vital to learn patience and self-control.
Impatience, he points out, has become part of who we are. It has become ingrained. And that while it has been associated with poor risk assessment and bad decision making. For that reason, it is vital that we take the time to learn to deal with it, through the mastering of patience.
Your mood, character, and reactions are not set in stone. That means that you can alter them, as long as you follow the right strategies and take the right approach. Want to know what those are? Then check out How to Be More Patient
It might be short, but that is perfect in this rush-rush world. For that reason, I heartily advise it as a good first pit stop on the road to learning patience. Then, when you’ve internalized these lessons, you can turn towards the rest of this list.
Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective
I don’t think I need to tell you that much about the author of this book. Who is it? It’s the Dalai Lama. And if there’s anybody that knows about patience, it has to be him. After all, he’s been waiting for his exile to end since 1959 and in all that time he never got angry at the people who kicked him out.
Now that is a patient man!
Do you want to learn the secret to his patience? Then you should absolutely pick up his book Healing Anger right now!
His book teaches patience based on A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life, which is a famous Buddhist book.
Here are some things others have to say about the Dalai Lama and his book. "The writings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama have done more to familiarize the general public with Shantideva than any other teachings. I am indebted to his commentaries, and especially to his book Healing Anger."—Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart
"The Dalai Lama teaches with clear and forceful language."—Publishers Weekly
Last thoughts
Patience is an acceptance of the moment and letting go of the rush mentality that everything should have been finished 5 minutes ago. It benefits you mentally and will boost your relationships. It is, for that reason, a fine trait to learn.
The problem, as many of the authors pointed out in their books, is that today’s culture and society seem to be about as far away from patience as you can possibly get. The idea that time is money and that you only live once in many ways go against the teachings of patience.
You try to find an inspiration to put your thoughts in your own book. You can read workshop for writers to write a story with a power, style, and sincerity.
For that reason, it’s a good idea to study up on how other cultures and other people achieve patience in today’s world. For ultimately even though we might have neglected patience in our daily lives, that doesn’t mean it’s not useful. I’d like to say it’s quite the contrary. In our rush-rush culture, a person with patience is going to have tremendous advantages over those that can’t sit still or take a moment to reflect.
So, paradoxical as it may seem, you shouldn’t wait with learning the patience. You should embrace it right now.
