“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart...live in the question.” 
― Rainer Maria Rilke

Have you ever felt like you had to explode, break through, create the new — but the timing wasn't quite right, or you rushed into it and your plan didn't end up blossoming?

That's why Patience is one of the aspects of the Wood Element or Springtime Energy — the powerful upward, exploding energy. Like we see in a sprouting tulip, 5 Element Theory understands that brining a vision into fruition requires patience. We must hold the vision and let it ripen before it's ready.

(To understand the Five Elements in context, check out a complimentary copy of the e-Book, Five Element Acupuncture & You. [use code: 'ancientwisdom'])

Patience is a powerful tool.

With patience, we can allow our ideas to percolate to the perfect moment of creation.

We can sit and get to know a stranger, someone different than us, erasing fear and prejudices. With patience comes wisdom, inner strength, and focus. Patience brings better mental and emotional endurance. We all know what it can be like to feel quick to anger. Especially if you're a parent - kids test patience like it's their sole purpose in life. If we actively cultivate patience with tools like breath, curiosity, and choice — we become happier, calmer, and more at home, feeling connected to life!

Now, more than ever, we need to Practice the Art of Patience! We are practiced at never having to wait for anything. We are physically habituated towards instant gratification. Think about it. Any information is available in seconds from our phone. We can purchase almost anything online and have it delivered to us that same day. There's no more going out untethered to everyone you know and love. Our nervous systems wire themselves according to what we repeat most often. This is where we have power.

3 ways to Practice Patience

1. Shift your perspective on a problem (How To): When we shift our perspective, we can unhook ourselves from the well worn grooves and patterns of our nervous system and try on something else.
     a. Think of a challenging situation or problem in your life.
     b. 'Open your mind' by saying "This could mean anything!"
     c. Release any judgements you may already have about the problem.
     d. Be curious and ask yourself, "What is a new way I could look at this problem?" or "What haven't I thought of yet?"

2. Grow Strawberries. Or any other fruits or veggies you enjoy! When you nurture a plant, it  brings you into nature's rhythms. PLUS you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Here's the How-To.

3. Be Creative. Paint. Cook. Knit. Draw. Sing. Write Poetry.  To make good art, we must be patient. Fortunately, creativity has a way of inspiring it.

To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it. 
- Kurt Vonnegut