As far as core personality traits go, I didn’t seem to inherit a lot of patience from my birth parents nor did I learn to develop it from my mom and dad! My whole life I wanted what I wanted RIGHT THEN! That’s pretty typical of kids, I guess. But then I also lacked patience when it came to other people’s behavior. When I’m annoyed by something, it is really hard for me to just smile and be patient with that person. I’ve had to really develop that skill and I’m still not always good at it! The truth is, we all need to have patience with one another. I’ve learned to give others the “space” they need to feel a certain way. Having patience and giving that space reduces arguments and actually reduces my overall stress! I may feel some physical stress pushing back those reactions that I WANT to have, but in the end, I feel really good and less stressed! I still don’t and never will have patience when it comes to getting physical things that I want (like my job, getting my book published, waiting in line for food, etc…) but developing patience with PEOPLE is what really counts and it is something I work on everyday. Some days are better than others… but rushing never helped anyone. Think about people who “rush” to marriage, or “rush” a task as simple as an important email. Does it work out smoothly or turn out as well as it should? Maybe, maybe not, but one thing is always for sure: Great, really great things come to those who wait.