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Ninety minutes (plus any stoppage time) on the pitch during a futbol/soccer match can sometimes result in a 0-0 draw or minimal points earned at best.
Each July, cyclists travel up and down, across and around France for 21 days before reaching the final finish line in Paris during Le Tour de France. The winner isn’t determined until nearly a month after they began.
I know TSLL readers know all about each of these sports, their durations, their challenges, the rules that the athletes are held to, which is why I bring them to our attention again. Each exemplifies, in vivid fashion, how patience is active engagement and far from being passive.
Another example, shared in the book The Monk and the Butterfly, draws our attention to the too-often-overlooked ant. Often dismissed by those of us standing many feet above it, the ant demonstrates patience and, in so doing, accomplishes far more relative to its size than most humans. Carrying a single petite leaf from one side of the trail to the other, no matter the obstacle or the amount of time, it persisted. “It simply moves forward, trusting in its ability to overcome each obstacle as it arises.”
What true patience embodies is finding peace in the process. Instead of forcing ourselves and our ideas forward at the pace we would prefer, which only causes more frustration, frustration that is absolutely avoidable, we slow down, assess, and adjust our approach.
All the life lessons that afford us the opportunity to better understand ourselves and the world we live in are presented to us along our journey, if we choose to see them as classroom moments for gaining wisdom. When we practice patience, we put ourselves on the path of wisdom that only needs each of us to see it as such in order to be gained.
There are quite a few examples taking place at the moment on the global stage of the benefits of patience. As shared above, in the international sports arena, but also on the political and economic stage, and the list goes on.
We strengthen our patience muscle through “active engagement with the present moment.”
Instead of throwing our hands up in anger and raving about how things aren’t going our way, we engage with intention toward our desired outcome, embodying loving-kindness and integrity. This ensures that we recognize we are not alone in trying to get about living life, but also demonstrates our awareness and courage that we have a life to live and are best served when we choose not to sit back and passively wait, hoping something we would prefer actually happens. And, I’ll let you in on a secret (which I have a feeling you’re probably already aware of): It isn’t through passivity that we will see results that elevate our lives, bring forth our true capabilities, and lead us to what we can experience beyond our most hoped-for dreams. However, the misunderstanding arises when we think we have to force our way toward our destination. It is the middle way that involves the least friction as well as the most enjoyment for the journey and the best possible outcomes as well.
The obstacles only become our burden if we choose to see them as such. Approaching any journey with our skill of true patience prepares us for the reality that twists and turns, even detours, will occur, and so long as we don’t turn around and give up (Tadej Pogačar is not going to stop racing after day one of Le Tour just because he doesn’t win the first stage or isn’t leading the overall standings on the penultimate day), by actively going with the flow, we arrive with a more peaceful state of mind and invaluable knowledge of how to move more contently and successfully (based on our definition of success) through our days and thus enjoy the journey. The end result becomes all the more sweet and all the more savored when we do eventually arrive.
SIMILAR POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY
episode #428: Cultivating Equanimity: The Paramount Benefit of Living with Contentment for Everyday Peace of Mind
Un Moment de Méditation: No. 14 — Give Yourself Patience
~Learn more about TSLL’s Contentment Masterclass: explore the detailed syllabus, watch the trailer, read student reviews and more.
“It is the middle way that involves the least friction as well as the most enjoyment for the journey and the best possible outcomes as well.” The Middle Way is the most beautiful, practical,(and one of the founding), principles of buddhism, which is ultimately a secular guide to living without strife within yourself and recognizing/celebrating/encouraging the connection of all that is outside of self. It is the understanding that moderation, with knowledge, is the balanced, ethical approach to guide our decisions. You are exactly right–it is all dependent on how we view the ‘happenings’ that occur in any life. Nothing is either good or bad, it is how we make it so. Of course there are horribly sad and dreadful events that occur, I, and you, have had them. We choose then to hold them as burdens, or, we grieve, learn, and continue with our journey, with those precious tools now in our backpack. Thank you Shannon. Love to Nelle. xoxo
You are most welcome Rona. Thank you for sharing all that you have. Yep, the Middle Way. A conscious choice, but one that brings much peace and freedom when we remember to choose it.
The ant from The Monk and the Butterfly is a particularly effective anchor for your argument because it’s almost the opposite of what we’d expect as an illustration of patience—it’s not serene or contemplative, it’s just relentless, indifferent to outcome. That practicality mirrors your point about active engagement over passive waiting. The soccer and Tour de France examples build the same muscle: they’re all systems where the middle unfolds on its own terms, and the participant’s job is simply to stay present in it. There’s an interesting tension though—you’re asking readers to find peace in obstacles as “classroom moments,” but that assumes obstacles have pedagogical intent, which feels like a step beyond simply accepting that they’re part of the process. Still, the throughline holds: whether the lesson is intentional or accidental, the work of moving forward doesn’t change.
Thank you for your thoughts Kitty. Lessons abound in life. It’s a matter of being a detective and one who appreciates the opportunities given. So much to learn and so little time. 🙂