The Foundation of Patience

Are you looking to develop more patience with yourself, others, and situations? Here are some qualities and skills to develop and a few tips that will help in creative endeavors and everyday living:


*Compassion When you must deal with someone who is trying your patience, remember that there is a good chance that they are acting out of fear and/or pain or even a temporarily muddled mind due to a chemical imbalance.

Here's what helps me remember to be compassionate: I remember that at the lowest point of my life, I would not have liked anyone to take a mental snapshot of me and then assume that that's how I am all the time! This is especially helpful when you're dealing with people you don't know.

*Flexibility A little forethought can prevent a lot of frustration. Leave extra time for possible delays such as slow lines, traffic, and puppies that piddle on the floor just as you thought you were ready to leave home.

And always have something with you to work on or to entertain yourself when you get detained. If you like to travel light, just a small tablet, a pen, and your cell phone can give you some options. Books on CD are great for in the car!

*Acceptance Cr%p happens! Puppies piddle. Traffic slows. Orders get held up. The person ahead of you in line pays with 98 pennies. Working on the other areas covered in this post will make this one come easier with time.

*Stress Management If you are committed to keeping your base-line stress level under control, the better you'll be at keeping your cool when the pressure is on. Take care of yourself and ASK for help when you need it.

Find ways to relax that work for you. It could be tai chi, Reiki, massage, meditation, or enjoying a hobby. During the "Do What You Love" evening that I mentioned near the end of my last post, I spent the whole three hours doing one 12"-by-12" collage! It was very soothing to me.

*Assertiveness You don't need to be or act angry in order to communicate what you need. It can be done calmly and politely before you lose your patience!

If you have trouble speaking up for yourself and/or saying "NO," there's lots of help out there. How deeply embedded is the problem? Would a book, CD, or coach help, or is it time to find a skilled therapist? Does seeking therapy sound extreme? Not if the problem is interfering with your life!

*Faith Try learning more about the Law of Attraction and the power of intentions, thoughts, words, and feelings. If you relax and believe that wonderful things are on their way to you, you're sending out positive energy that the Universe matches by the Law of Attraction.

*Self-Awareness When you lose patience with yourself, explore your limiting beliefs about yourself. They can lead to conflicting commitments within your own mind that make you feel stuck.

Fear of success is a great example. Maybe one facet of you wants to succeed, but another part of you is afraid you won't be able to handle the responsibilities involved. Both sides are tugging with equal strength while you're losing patience with yourself for "getting nowhere!"

Again, you need to figure out how deep-seated the problem is, and what level of assistance you'll need. If you're used to doing a lot of inner work, journaling about it may be very effective.

Feel free to offer your comments, questions, and experiences around the topic of patience!

Thanks,
Susan

P.S. For details about the Fall Sweep Dig-In Tele-Party on Sept. 22, go to www.seminarannouncer.com and check the September listings for that date. A little accountability and support go a long way! I'm hosting the tele-party as a complimentary service. Questions? Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com.

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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Why Working from Home Works for Sensitive Creatives

Creative folks often fall into the category of high sensitivity. I've mentioned it in other posts, but to get the whole story, see The Highly Sensitive Person, by Elaine Aron, PhD.

Meanwhile, here are my reasons, as a highly sensitive person, that I find having my "headquarters" at home to be good for my head...and the rest of me, too!

Environment
Highly Sensitive People usually experience their sensitivity in just about any way you can think of it. This includes sound, weather, indoor temperature, good or bad Feng Shui, energy coming from others, sights, textures, emotions, physical sensations, information overload, interaction overload, smells, tastes, and the effects of hunger or pushing themselves too hard.

Working mostly from home gives us much more control over these issues. This really helps, because most people in the more common sensory mode do not understand why we even have these issues. How can they, until the concept of high sensitivity is explained to them? It's simply not in their experience. So don't hold it against them. Just do what you need to do for your self-care.

Pace
Because sensitive people take things in at such a deep level, we have a lot more processing to do. This can cause us to respond, adjust, and/or work more slowly than others.

Remember those standardized, timed tests we took in school? I never saw the end of any of them! I simply can't sort that much info that fast, not to mention simultaneously handling random data coming in through my thoughts or senses! I do not have a "standardized" mind! That was in the 60's and 70's, when accommodations for differences were in their infancy.

By working from home I can make my own accommodations and set my own pace, even if it means it'll take me longer to get done. Rushing only compounds the problem, so I plan ahead to avoid that as much as possible.

Solitude
If sensitive people can work in reasonable solitude at home, so much the better. Not everyone has that luxury, but maybe you can arrange some time for solitude by asking for help from supportive family members or friends.

Flexibility
As you can see, the flexibility of working from home can help with all three of the issues I've mentioned above. Just be sure that you keep your trait of high sensitivity in mind when you are your own boss. Don't fall into the trap of making working from home just as difficult for yourself (or even more so) than working elsewhere. You can have better control over your environment, pace, and amount of solitude, so use your flexibility to make sure you do!

One way that I'm doing this is by controlling the level of clutter and disarray in my environment, as I wrote about in my last post, on July 10. If you missed it, please check it out!

Thanks,
Susan

P.S. For a complimentary exploratory tele-coaching session on this topic or most any other, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com!

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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When Opportunity Knocks....

Will you have the flexibility to turn on a dime when opportunity knocks? Check your supplies of these resources:

• Time
• Space
• Energy
• Attention
• Enthusiasm
• Clear-Headedness
• Money
• Personal Boundaries
• Self-Confidence
• Self-Esteem
• Willingness to Move Forward Through Fear
• Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Health
• Tolerance for Ambiguity
• Environmental Support Systems, Including People
• Awareness of Opportunities
• Patience
• Inner-Directedness, for Deflecting Nay-Sayers and Stereotypes

I suggest that you print this list out and review it often, so you are always prepared when great opportunities come along. If you can think of more resources that I missed, please add them in the comments section!

Thanks,

Susan

P.S. To those in the greater Philadelphia, PA, area: I'll be leading an Advanced Journaling Workshop on Sunday, May 4, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Please email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for more details.

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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