Daily exercises to be more patient, more tolerant, more joyous | Andrea de Michaelis – Creating my own reality, one thought at a time

Ever wish you were more patient, more tolerant, more joyous? Wish you could become peacefully serene just by wishing it so? With a little practice, you can consciously invoke any quality you wish to acquire. During daily meditation, take a few extra minutes for the following: Imagine yourself in a peaceful, serene setting, being very relaxed. Breathe in the relaxation and serenity and feel it all through your mind and body. Then imagine yourself in a stressful situation, one which calls for you to act with patience, tolerance and understanding: i.e., with a bad driver, an angry child, a frustrating boss. Imagine yourself acting appropriately and displaying the desired qualities. Place yourself in another stressful situation, one that is likely to come up during the day; envision yourself acting appropriately and again displaying the desired qualities. Take note of how you feel during the exercise. As you continue this daily meditation, you are preconditioning yourself for appropriate action, so that when a stressful situation occurs, your response will be automatic. This exercise can be used to invoke any quality you may wish to acquire. Remember to give thanks for the opportunity to learn a new quality.

I’ve got a dear sister on the other coast who’s going through some challenges the few past years. We’ve known each other since high school, followed similar fast-paced career paths, married similar men, have similar spiritual longings. I began meditation at age 20 and she was never interested. Throughout my life, I know meditation is my major stress reliever, a time and place twice a day to decompress. Only the last few weeks has she been calling me asking for some techniques she can do every day in her real life situations and she told me last night her practice was paying off. “Practice, ” she said, “so doing this exercise is part of the daily practice you always talk about? I can do this, I’m more spiritual than I thought!” I laughed with her.