Today, we will almost certainly need to maintain our composure. If we are parents of young kids, we’ll need it. Waiting for that business deal, or dealing with the workflow will require us to be patient. And someone who is inconsiderate, insincere, or just rude will require a little more from us. We all need a heaping dose of patience.
One of those areas will affect some of us more than others. Yet, there is someone all of us will need great tolerance for. That person is ourselves. This quote reminds us we need to give ourselves a break.
“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.”
Saint Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622)
Of all the people we need patience with, ourselves can be the hardest. We know our thoughts and actions. We can be hard on ourselves way too much. If we have high standards, we will most likely fall short.
Patience Keeps us Moving
However, we all need to give ourselves a break. Because if we aren’t patient with ourselves, we are going to get stuck. Our frustration with our own imperfections will keep us from moving forward.
Instead of mulling over why we did this or that, consider what it would look like to improve. That will keep us moving in the right direction instead of wasting all of our time berating ourselves for our imperfections.
Giving Ourselves a Break Let’s Us Helps Us Help Others
When we give ourselves grace, we are in a much better place to help others. It opens us up to empathy because we can acknowledge we aren’t perfect. High standards are good until it makes us intolerant of human behavior. What is the point of perfection if it alienates us from others?
When we acknowledge we still have much to learn, it helps us to have the patience and empathy to teach others.
Today, let’s give ourselves a little grace, learn from our imperfections and mistakes, and move forward. It can even help us teach others how to overcome some of the obstacles we have faced.
