In 2014, we live in a fast-paced world. We zoom through life without ever thinking of slowing down. In statistics compiled by OnlineGraduatePrograms.com, “1 in 4 people abandon a webpage that takes more than 4 seconds to load, the majority of americans would not wait in line more than 15 minutes and 72% of Americans eat fast food more than once a week.” I don’t know about y’all but those are some pretty interesting statistics to me. This new world is driving us away from one crucial part of human existence: patience.

Wikipedia defines patience as “the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.” If you are reading this as a millennial these are skills you probably do not have.

Most of us burn our tongues continuously trying to drink piping hot Starbucks lattes, can’t sit completely through an hour long class without getting completely bored and what tell the whole season of a show comes out on Netflix so we don’t have to sit filled with anticipation every week waiting for a new episode. I mean we even have an app on campus that allows people who are too impatient to stand in line to pre-order fast food.

As a group we are not patient at all. It’s one of our greatest weaknesses, a dark and haunting rock of kryptonite to ruin are superhuman-like dreams of actually doing something with our lives. No one wants to be patient anymore. No one wants to have to work hard anymore. We want to bypass all that and find loop holes. The art of waiting for anything has been lost.

In all honesty, I think our inability and unwillingness to wait is crippling us in some ways. Sure our go-getter attitudes are great! Who doesn’t want to be driven and ambitious? Speeding through the mundane parts of life definitely has it’s benefits. But it can’t be denied that some things are better when you take your time.

There are just some things that should not be rushed. Relationships, education, marriage, kids, sex and that 15 page paper research paper that your professor assigned are usually all better when you take your time (or sometimes they’re not because you get your best paper ideas at 2 a.m. the morning before it’s due). You will be less stressed and even make better decisions. Not to mention that devoting time to something allows for you take truly learn about it. I mean isn’t that why we are devoting  four years of our lives that we can never get back to getting a degree? Taking things slow and being patient can be helpful.. We need to stop taking short-term rewards over long term goals because we are so eager to have what we want right now.

And what are we rushing for anyway? When you overwork yourself in order to get what you want faster all you are doing is rushing yourself to an early grave, literally. In a study by Carolyn Aldwin of Oregon State University, “people who tend to live a more stressful life have a 50% higher chance of dying sooner.” Do you want to unintentional work yourself into an early grave? I know I don’t.

So take a chance on being patient and see what it can bring you. Sometimes slow and steady truly does win the race.

Ways to be more patient

1. Let it go.

2. Breathe.

3. Loosen up.

4. Enjoy the journey.

5. Look at the big picture.

6. Stop demanding perfection of yourself.

7. Practice patience every day.

8. Experience different cultures.

9. Laugh at yourself.

10. Find a distraction.

11. Be positive/change your attitude.

12. Visualize.

13. Find ways to remove tensions or stress.

Compiled by Erinn Williams from lifehack.org, realsimple.com and codeofliving.com