Hi Journal & Friends,
We have lived at this house now for about 16 months. The box with most of my party light collection has been lost all this time, buried somewhere in the storeroom (I talked about my party light collection HERE). MyGuy "kinda" looked, and kept saying he couldn't find it. I have been "kinda" patient.
But yesterday, I had HAD it. I was determined to find my lights!! And guess what... we found them. I had the fun of putting up a new one in my studio... the Pink Flamingos (click to enlarge if you just must see a bigger flamingo!).
What do Pink Flamingos have to do with this weight loss journey??? It was those two words, patience and determination that set me off.
I've been thinking about this journey, and how at times, in spite doing all we need to do, and know to do, it STILL seems like it's moving slower than molasses in winter!
Here are a couple of dictionary definitions:
PATIENCE: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
DETERMINATION: firmness of purpose, resoluteness
And here are MY working definitions of these same words:
PATIENCE: the attitude required, due to waiting longer than I would prefer to see results from my efforts.
DETERMINATION: making my mind up that nothing is going to make this take longer than is necessary.
But... then a weird thing happened. I was noticing the synonyms for both words. Patience had 2 inferences. The first used words like:
forbearance, tolerance, restraint, self-restraint, calmness, composure, serenity, tranquility... Okay, I get that.
But then, the second side of Patience surprised me. It had these SAME synonyms as did Determination:
perseverance
persistence
tenacity
staying power
doggedness
resolve
resoluteness
And I had thought that the two words, Patience and Determination, were almost opposites!
I would chafe when I, or others for that matter, kept saying we must be patient. I felt like it was being wimpy, and not determined. It felt passive and accepting, instead of aggressively going after my goals and working hard to make them happen.
So, today I learned something new. I CAN work hard, and yet have a patient spirit while I do it.
I CAN be aggressive in going after my goals and dreams, yet tolerate delays well, without becoming frustrated.
I think it has something to do with being realistic as to which things are within my control, and which are not.
I can act with determination on the things that ARE within my control.
I can practice patience on the things NOT within my control.
That's my deep thinkin' for today: that they are "parallel truths", not opposites after all.
Learn sumpthin new every day, right?
From Dr Phil's book: "You must carve out time in your life for tension-reducing activities."
My verse for today: "Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people..."
My quote for today: "In any contest between power and patience, bet on patience." --W.B. Prescott
7 comments:
good one...absolutely.
I like that cat hanging off the birdhouse.
That is me.
The mice on the cats head would have been lunch.
lol.
Have a good day loretta.
You are so right! I love these two statements in particular "I can act with determination on the things that ARE within my control. I can practice patience on the things NOT within my control." What a great attitude!
By the way, I love the pink flamingo party lights! :-)
We really are a society that likes things to be quick. Patience is often underrated, but it's a necessity when trying to lose weight.
I need patience when faced with the frustration of not getting where I want to go fast enough. I am bad with patience. Husband will tell you how many times I lamented why wasn't I thin yet.
But then it happened, because I was determined to keep going even when I ran out of patience. Determination got me over the frustration.
They're both necessary. When you run out of one, rev up the other. :)
Our bodies do what they're going to do in their own time and in their own way. We are all different. Every body out there is different. So, never compare yourself to anyone else. Only yourself. :) That will help you keep your patience.
Huh. Like you, I had a different feeling associated with patience than strength and determination. But, I get it. Patience--like the tree that eventually breaks through the pavement. Not a lot of fanfare or drama, just continual keeping on til it's done. huh.
Thanks.
Deb
Patience and determination really are intrinsically linked. Love the pink flamingo lights! We all need a bit of kitsch in our lives! I used to have some fabulous red chilli lights, but they were lost years ago... :o(
To me determination is an active word. It brings to mind a person storming across the room with nothing else happening in the world at that moment. With the word Patience I invision someone a person standing with arms crossed leaning against the wall.
Now I see that they both can be active qualities that are reliant upon the other especially for this journey.
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