Patience

This much-coveted skill can be a difficult one to achieve, but is immensely helpful, particularly when working with horses and/or children. They both do stuff they know they shouldn't, they both test people, and it doesn't do too much good to actually yell at either one. A quick "Don't do that!" is ok, but I know for a fact that a monolog of yelling doesn't work. It has never worked when a horse gets me worked up and I "launch" on him, and I know as a kid being yelled at never got the message through my thick skull any better. How each person keeps their cool in a situation is different, and how each person gains patience is different. Normally this is where the writer would go into some really neat and awesome personal story on either how patience has worked in their favor, or more preferably how they gained said patience, but my "How I got some Patience" story can be boiled down to a sentence. I figured out being impatient didn't make things go faster or better, and that it was a waste of energy. There is no good in working yourself up over how you shouldn't have to wait this long for whatever it is. It doesn't feel good to be steaming and fuming. What does feel good is after you've faced a situation and had patience, knowing that because of your focus and determination you handled yourself in a manner that you are proud of. That's when patience pays off. Not in the moment you decide to take a deep breath and deal. It's when you are proud of yourself based on a decision that you have made.

-Felecia West