Daily Gratitude: How much patience do you have right now? I bet it isn’t a lot. Times of stress seem to decrease the supply of patience we may have previously accrued. Acknowledging this fact is important, not just for your own understanding but also for those who are around you. What if you were to open up to those around you and tell them your patience tank is running on empty? Tell them that they shouldn’t take anything you say personally. Maybe even consider asking them for help. Maybe they could let you know when something you’ve done bothers them. That might allow you the time and examples you need in order to examine your inner self to see what’s missing and what’s needed. Enlist the help of others and it becomes a team project. That requires you to be vulnerable but it also allows you (and the others) to be part of the team. And whether we admit it or not, we all want to be on a team. Otherwise those childhood memories of being last to be picked to join the others wouldn’t be so painful. Opening up to others keeps you both alert and may help keep you from doing something stupid in the future. Build your patience muscles by allowing others inside. Scary huh? But it does help. A lot.