“Well, what do you think?”

After a long pause, the wife responded, “I need to take some time to process this, and then I will give you an answer.”

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“I’m afraid if I answer now, I will be coming from a place of emotion, and we may get into an argument.  I would like to take a few minutes or an hour or so, before I respond.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

Ω

Sometimes, we need to remember the word, “patience” when we interact with others.  During the “heat of the battle,” we sometimes feel ourselves wanting so badly to be heard and to be understood, that we actually make things worse.   When we begin to raise our voices, or cut the other person off while they are speaking, we are escalating the discussion, possibly to the level of an argument.

Think about the last “heated discussion” you may have had with a family member, friend, or co-worker.  Did you begin to interrupt the other person while they were speaking?   Did you begin to raise your voice?  Did you take some time to think before speaking, or did you just “fire off” your opinions as quickly as you could?

Life is about patience.  When we have patience, we are on our road to a life of peace and calm.  When we have peace and calm in our lives, we are on the road to happiness and joy.  Your emotional state defines your level of peace, calm, happiness and joy.   When you think before you speak, you can help stay in a place of peace and calm.

If you remember past messages, we have talked about how your mind controls your current emotional state.  If you begin to feel yourself getting agitated, stressed, angry, etc., you can simply change your thoughts.  However, the “gate-keeper” of your thoughts, is the ego.  You must be willing to ignore all of the reasons why you are justified in feeling say, hurt, so that you can change your thought and return to a place of peace and calm.

Much like changing your thoughts can alter your current emotional state, taking the time to consider your behaviors and your responses in a “heated discussion” can have a similar impact.  When you use your mind to slow the discussion and keep it to a level of peace and calm, you are using patience.  When we use patience, we are slowing the progression of our discussions so that they do not escalate.

Most people will tell you that when they get into an argument with someone, it happens rather quickly.  It may be a matter of a second or two, before the discussion escalates out of control.   When you feel that happening, you have a couple of options.  You can take a deep breath, lower your voice, and speak softly while considering how your words might get interpreted by the other party.  Another approach is to leave the conversation to return to it later after both parties have had time to think.

InspiraCard

Let go of the need to be right.  Disengage from the “daily battles” that are brewing.  Have patience in your life, and you will see a life of peace and calm.  With peace and calm, comes a life of happiness and joy!

Written Wed, Sep 10, 2014 8:02 – 8:14 AM MT