Too many dreams are abandoned because of a lack of patience. Impatience is an irrational assessment of our progress towards a desired outcome. Because we happen to feel uncomfortable, we attribute that feeling to our inability to get what we want instantly. In reality, any goal that is worthy of our attention will require sustained effort over an extended period of time so impatience, almost by definition, operates to separate us from realizing our most valued objectives.
Unfortunately, our impatient attitude is habitual. That is, the more we act on our impatience, the more likely we are to suffer from it’s oppressive character. The underlying problem that prevents us from measured progress is a tendency to grasp into the future. Our desire floats in front of us like a mirage and when we reach for it impatiently, it will soon dissolve. There may be a temporary relief when we satisfy the craving but that temporary feeling adds to the impatient energy when it arises the next time, compounding the problem.
Through insight meditation we can reverse this process so that we get rewarded for waiting for the fruits of our labour to ripen. The reward of wisdom far exceeds any positive feeling we might get from temporarily evading the task at hand because through wisdom we experience a prolonged peace of mind that does not depend on any conditions. Happiness and satisfaction of this kind is a liberation of the mind from the otherwise endless cycle of craving to which we are normally subjected.
The method is fairly simple in theory but requires some practice to grasp its subtlety. As a result, regular meditation retreats are an effective way to make progress in overcoming impatience. By removing ourselves from the usual distractions we can then devote more energy to the process of repeatedly bringing the mind back to the present moment so that we don’t get carried away by our regrets or desires and they no longer obscure our observation of the present moment. Once we commit our time and resources to improving our diligence at present moment awareness, we can begin to make progress towards an experience of peace of mind and unconditional happiness.