12 signs you’re an incredibly patient person

Patience is a wonderful gift to have, not just for yourself but for the people around you.

Luckily, you have an abundance of it!

Here are 12 signs you’re an incredibly patient person.

1) You’ve accepted imperfection (from yourself and others)

Great expectations can lead to great frustrations and disappointments…and of course, this tends to make us more impatient in general.

Luckily, you’ve already accepted the fact that nothing and no one is ever perfect or even close to it.

You don’t get frustrated when someone doesn’t “get” it on the first, second, or fifth try. You know that’s just how it is—we’re all imperfect.

And because you’ve eliminated (or at least, lessened) your expectations, any kind of mistake or flaw doesn’t make you want to kick a wall.

In fact, you EXPECT mistakes to happen.

This trait has made you incredibly patient and calm.

2) You hate rushing

You prefer to do things at your own pace as much as possible.

You want to take your time whether you’re making a presentation at work or preparing a meal at home.

You know that rushing will not only result in mediocre work, it can also give you unnecessary stress. And who wants that?

Why work yourself up in creating something for an hour, when you can JOYFULLY do it in two?

The good thing is that, because you don’t rush, you’re also incredibly patient with people who are quite slow.

Sure, you would want dinner to always be ready at seven, but if it’s an hour late because your partner is enjoying the art of cooking, then you wouldn’t make a fuss about it.

3) You’re calm in the face of uncertainty

You’re well aware that challenges are a regular part of life. It’s as normal and frequent as getting a cold!

And so whenever you’re facing challenges—especially the ones beyond your control—you don’t freak out and shout at the Universe “Why meee?!” Instead, you try your best to calm down.

It’s not easy, of course. We want some level of control and, well… some problems can truly be life-shattering.

But you’ve learned that most problems will get resolved eventually, especially if one is level-headed and calm. And if they truly can’t be solved, then freaking won’t help anyway.

4) Waiting for your turn is your way of showing respect

You wait for your turn to speak even when the topic starts to get a little boring. You wait for your turn to get on the metro even if you had a bad day at work.

You don’t see any other option…and not because you’re a weakling, it’s because you’re not entitled.

You have respect for people and rules, and you’d want others to be the same way.

You give people enough time to talk. And you don’t complain about how inefficient the metro is, you stretch your patience because it’s what’s good for you and the people around you.

5) You give others multiple chances

You’re patient with people because you know humans are naturally flawed.

You believe we’re all a work-in-progress and this is the reason why you don’t just cut off and “fire” the people who’ve outright wronged you or unconsciously disappointed you.

When your partner used your laptop without your permission, for example, instead of lashing out because you expected them to not touch your things, you communicate with them clearly.

And while you expect them to respect your boundaries, you don’t expect them to not commit the same kind of mistake again.

Maybe they’ll use your mug or shirt or soap without your permission…and so you explain that yes, you expect them to ask your permission for those things, too.

6) You don’t react at the speed of your emotions

And by this I mean you don’t react impulsively.

When someone says something a little bit offensive, you don’t automatically say “How dare you! Can you repeat what you just said?!”

And when something is not going right and it’s a big deal for you, you don’t bang the wall and scream. You regulate your emotions.

You know that many impulsive reactions can lead to trouble and drama, so you soothe yourself and count to ten to not say hurtful words and do hurtful things.

7) You know how to let things slide

You don’t take everything too seriously.

If someone says something that’s not 100% accurate, you don’t correct them mid-sentence. You just let them keep talking (well, as long as they’re not spreading false information).

If a guest brought red wine when you said they should bring white, you won’t make a big deal about it. You just go “Welp, wine is wine!”, and just laugh about it.

You have the capacity to just shrug things off and move on fast, and this is a big reason why many people consider you incredibly patient.

8) You focus on solutions

You’re addicted to finding solutions. It’s just your thing!

So when something doesn’t work, you don’t act like it’s the end of the world. Instead, your mind goes “Alright, that didn’t work. Let’s find another way.”

Don’t get me wrong. You do get disappointed and down. But you bounce yourself out of the funk and focus your energy on finding solutions.

Catastrophizing can make one freak out and get impatient. Good thing you always think that everything has a solution.

9) You know how to let go of control

Many people who are impatient have control issues.

They want things to be in a certain way or else…

When things aren’t EXACTLY as they want it to be, they can’t help but spiral. They just can’t stop themselves from venting.

Well, you’re not really the exact opposite. You DO want things to be a certain way, too.

But you’re very much aware that some things are simply beyond your control…so instead of bringing heaven down to earth just to make things “right”, you just go with the flow.

You accept and adjust, and if you find necessary, you try again.

10) You believe everyone you meet is fighting a battle

Deep down, you’re a compassionate person, and this prevents you from getting very impatient with others.

You know that even 6-year-olds are facing a lot of challenges every day—from their strict teachers to their annoying cousins.

This is the reason why patience comes naturally to you. You don’t want to add to other people’s burden.

So even if they’re a bit annoying, you don’t snap. You know that the least thing you can do to others is by being a little gentle and patient.

11) You believe everyone is trying their best

Most people get impatient because they think people are simply being lazy or they’re not trying to reach their full potential.

People who think this way say hurtful things like “I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me?!” or “You really don’t put in any effort!”

You’re incredibly patient because you truly believe that most people are trying their best—yep, even if it doesn’t seem like it sometimes.

Because…if you really think about it, who wants to make mistakes? Who wants to mess things up? Who doesn’t want success?

No one.

You believe in this with all of your heart and this is one major reason why you’re an incredibly patient person.

12) You consider it your responsibility to be a little nicer

Most impatient people—although sometimes, their frustrations are beyond their control—forget how much impact they have on the people around them.

This makes them careless with their words and actions.

They think “Well, THEY should just suck it up” or “It’s not my duty to always be nice!”

Luckily, you’re not like this.

They know that every action they make—even the way they stare—has an effect on others.

And that’s why even if they really want to say harsh things on the person who just spilled their coffee, they’ll tone it down.

They won’t go “WTF! Are you blind?! Now my morning is ruined”, they’d instead say “Oh no, but at least it didn’t spill on me. Now you owe me coffee”

Last words

Patience is a virtue, but it’s also a skill almost anyone can have with conscious effort.

If you consider yourself impatient, don’t worry. You can turn that around by just doing the things I mentioned here.

But one at a time please. It takes time to turn them into a habit, and it will stick better if you incorporate them slowly.

You have to be patient with yourself as you slowly become the person you want to be.