Saturday, December 18, 2010

The Gift of Patience



Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you, and scorn in the one ahead. - Mac McCleary

This holiday season, my wish for each of us is to receive the gift of patience.

Patience with the outside world
We'll drive through jammed streets, and battle for parking spaces. Some of us might visit a crowded mall and experience stressed out store clerks.

Patience with the writing world
We've all learned that the publishing industry moves at a glacial pace. Agents and editors are regular people with their own families and traditions to attend to. We might not receive the news we want at the time we want (a great post about this here).

Patience with ourselves
We do the best we can with the time we have. We may write about super heroes or extraordinary powers, but that's fiction. If we picture ourselves in slow motion, enjoying our friends and family, perhaps we'll cherish the season a bit more.

In the words of Benjamin Disraeli, "Patience is a necessary ingredient of genius." Do you struggle with patience at this time of year, or do you take it all in stride?


38 comments:

  1. Oh, I TRY to be patient. Mostly I feel impatient because 1.There's not enough time in the day to write, with other responsibilities and in general LOL and 2.Like you said, the publishing world moves sooooo slow. Plus, we might not receive the news we want, period, let alone when we want. I knew someone who got a rejection on Christmas Eve. I mean, couldn't the editor/publisher have waited?! Bad timing.

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  2. I struggle with patience. But your post is a great reminder why it's important to work on this and set your expectations accordingly. Easier said than done, at least in my case. :-)

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  3. I struggle with patience all year long, lol! Actually, I think I'm more patient this time of year because I feel such compassion for those who feel stressed and rushed with their holiday to-do list. I don't get stressed at this time of year. I love Christmas shopping and writing out cards and wrapping and baking and decorating. I enjoy every moment. But I know others don't, so I tend to be a lot more patient with them because they need it!

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  4. I struggle with it all the time, but mostly on the road.

    I've been trying to breathe more, though....

    Great reminder!

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  5. That seems to be the word of the day! My children are testing mine! ARGH.

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  6. Amen to that! I'm a notoriously impatient person. It's a flaw I've been working on for years. I think I've seen some improvement, but I definitely have a long ways to go! The problem with striving for patience is that you have to be patient in obtaining it.

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  7. Thanks for the reminder of a virtue that we need to have all the time. It seems that we're really tested this time of year as you point out.

    I like how The Words Crafter wrote that she should breathe more when being on the road. Great advice! Best of all it doesn't cost anything but you do get more peace of mind.

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  8. Ah... I struggle with patience every single day. The quote by Benjamin Disraeli was a great one, and the first one was *totally* me! (I'm a terribly impatient driver!)

    ~Jessica

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  9. I read the "Power of Now" a few years ago and it helps me most of the time when I get impatient.
    I've read that you are where you need to be. If you believe that, then it makes impatience irrelevant.

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  10. "Power of Now," is an awesome book to read. I find myself more patient as I get older since I'm more aware of how fast time really passes. If we are impatient we miss precious bits of our life that are fleeing by. I am still working on lowing my blood pressure with idiot drivers. We all are a work in progress.

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  11. Thanks for the reminder--patience is hard to maintain, especially when life throws so much your way.

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  12. Thanks, Julie. I found your post to be extremely timely for me. I have just cleared much of my schedule and have finished work at my day-job for the year. With these two weeks off, I hope to enjoy Christmas, get some reading done, spend a little time keeping the spider webs from taking over my blog and just hanging out with my family at home, and my friends on the internet...like you all.
    Happy Holidays.

    -Jimmy

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  13. I love that first quote. One of my favorites!

    I think I'm a little more patient this time of year . . . like I should be ALL year! Though I'm not sure that patience extends to the writing/publishing end. :) I'll have to work on that.

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  14. It comes and goes from day to day, but I often try to positive, regardless of the obstacles in my way… that too has its pitfalls.

    Thx

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  15. I'm pretty good with patience most of the time - but it's more time that I need! :)

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  16. Thank you for this focused and valuable post on patience. It can provide us with some direction as we head into the new year. Happy holidays to you and your family.

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  17. I think I've learned to be patient working with my students at the beginning of my career. You can imagine what test for your patience is a classroom full of wild teenagers :)

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  18. Hi Julie. I'm better with patience now than I have been in the past. With writing and publishing we really have no choice but to be patient, and hug our pillows :)

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  19. Have patience now - otherwise you'll discover the season has flown past and you never got to enjoy it!

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  20. Patience is huge. It can be so hard to be patience with life, our kids, our spouses, family, etc. But patience is definitely something that makes life easier. I know I need to work on my patience.

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  21. Amazingly, I'm quite a patient person. Some may beg to differ ... :)

    Being otherwise serves no purpose, whatsoever. It just makes things more messy. I've learned from my mistakes!

    Enjoyed the post, Julie.

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  22. Oh, these are great words. Patience may be one of the hardest virtues to learn and accept when writing. Happy Holidays!

    Jane

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  23. I try, I really do. But do you have any idea how difficult it is to be patient when you are surrounded by stupidity?

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  24. I'm pretty patient - it's sort-of required when you're a preschool teacher and luckily it's spilled into the rest of my life. But I also get really frustrated by how people can act this time of year - as if running your cart into mine to get into line faster will somehow improve your life. >:(

    Good post and great reminder for all!
    erica

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  25. Oh, I HEAR you!

    If there's anything I need, it is indeed patience. I am so impatient. Sometimes I get annoyed at my efforts to try to be patient - I'm impatient at trying to be patient!

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  26. I probably get a bit impatient with myself, but rarely with others.

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  27. What a beautiful post, Julie. I agree with you about patience and how it is so important in all of these facets of our lives. This is a great reminder to slow down, take a deep breath, and allow things to unfold as they will.

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  28. Thank you for your post, Julie. Patience is certainly a gift we all can use. There seems to be a short supply of it in the world at times, and certainly in myself!

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  29. Very thoughtful post Julie. Don't we all struggle with this one? Thank you for bringing it to my mind as I struggle through Christmas crowds.

    I wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year. See you in 2011!

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  30. I can be patient about a lot of things, but when it comes to something I really want, I sometimes stress myself over getting it fast enough. I know I need to slow down and enjoy the journey :)

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  31. I have such a problem with patience! I am a total instant gratification girl right now - but this is a great reminder that I need to slow down. It's not the destination, but the journey that's important. Thanks for the reminder!

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  32. urgh, I need this gift so badly... Thanks, Julie, I'll take it! :D

    Merry Christmas to you~ :o) <3

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  33. I was just over at Lisa Gail's Paranormal Blog and patience was a theme there too. It must be the season! I'm taking it as good advice.

    Happy Holidays, Julie. See you in 2011.

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  34. Hi Julie .. love that quote .. we just need patience - and we'll be calmer and be able to do more .. relax into patience. After all we are geniuses aren't we .. therefore we need to be patient! Cheers and have a good Christmas .. Hilary

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  35. Oy the guilt! Great. Now I HAVE to be more patient... But why does it have to be so hard? :D

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  36. Hi, Julile, your post made me feel much better about the fact that I've decided to just relax, be patient, and take things in stride, regarding the writing life. Thanks for a good post!

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  37. And writers definitely need that extra dose of patience, for sure!

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  38. Sometimes I worry that I am too patient. Unless I'm running later, then I am a nervous wreck.

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