10 Ways to Build Your Patience

Patience in Bloom: Build your patience with these tips

I don’t know how many times over the last 16-and-a-half years (that’s how long we’ve been making Inspire(d) Magazine) I’ve thought, “How am I not further ahead right now?” It’s a question I can put to my day, my magazine production schedule, and my life in general. It’s always so easy to envision the finished product/goal/dream, etc…if I could JUST snap my fingers, it would be perfect! Ugh. Not being a magic genie is rough.

In the era of social media and the Internet, where likes, loves, and information are instantaneous, it feels hard to wait.

But when I really look back on those 16+ years, I don’t think I would do it any differently.This work has offered a flexibility that almost always allows me to be available for our daughter or other loved ones at the drop of a hat. Sometimes it means I have to stay up until 3 am working (I try not to do that much anymore), or that I’m strapped to my desk on a 60-degree sunny Sunday, but if I’m needed somewhere else by someone important in my life, I am there.

This slow-and-steady pace has also allowed for adjustments as I learn new things about myself. What 26-year-old Aryn created in 2007 has been refined and redesigned by 43-year-old Aryn in 2024. Our lives and plans and dreams sometimes change, and that’s okay. I’ve gotta be patient.

So, then I find some peace. I accept that it’s okay that I don’t currently have a positive news media empire, with Inspire(d) Magazines franchised in every region of the country. That is still the dream, to watch the positive news ripple out across the US, making community-level change that has national impact. But we’ll keep at it. It’s been a pretty amazing journey so far, and we’re setting some really deep roots here, with the knowledge that we’ll continue blooming in our own time.

I hope this issue of Inspire(d) gives you a sense of peace as well. Life is a series of constant cycles. There will be good and bad, progression and regression, but if you keep moving forward, you’re gonna bloom so bright and bold in your very own way, I just know it. And I am here for it!

Thanks for reading, friends. Happy Spring!

XOXO, Aryn

10 Ways to Build Patience

1. Accept what’s out of your control. Hone in on what IS in your control

2. Don’t give up! If you get tired:

• Try a meditative breath – four counts in, hold four, four counts out, hold four
• Reach out to someone you know is good at pep talks
• Go easy on yourself. You’ve got time.

3. Take care of yourself. There’s no way you’ll bloom if you don’t fulfill your basic needs.

4. Practice Mindfulness Techniques

• Do a body scan, assessing each part of your body.
• Try a mindful walk. Focus on the different sounds, smells, feels of a spring day.

5. Recognize impatience. Waiting helps you see a new perspective. What is this meant to be teaching you? What have you missed in your impatience?

6. Show Gratitude. This can be a way to reframe your thoughts in a positive way.

7. Let go of comparisons.

8. Say no to negative self-talk. It doesn’t matter how long things have been one way, each day is a new opportunity.

9. Look at the big picture and reorganize your priorities. What’s important in the long run? How does it affect what’s important today?

10. Slow and steady. Start small and stay committed. Don’t worry about the whole marathon. All you need to do is take the first step. And then the next step. And then the next.