Heart of Steel: Dealing with the Afflictions of Life

What if you could be unmoved by resistance? What if delays, troubles, or suffering did not frustrate the hell out of you and ignite your anger? This is what it means to be patient. It’s taken from the Latin pateintia and it means longsuffering, or to suffer long.

Patience is the one lesson that most of us can never seem to learn. Instead, we’re governed by impatience—we’re easily provoked or irritated by circumstances or people. We are intolerant. We don’t like to wait for things to develop. We’re intolerant of the many factors of life that are working in any situation. We want things our way and we want it now.

We become impatient with family, friends, co-workers, or employees. We become impatient with our jobs. We become impatient with the processes of life in our own growth and development and the frustration that accompanies it turns us into reactionary monsters.

We Need Endurance

Endurance is the ability to withstand contrary circumstances over an extended period of time by the power of a strong, personal constitution. It’s what Manowar called having a “heart of steel.” You’re simply not moved, or provoked, by what’s going on around you, so you never change your personality, reaction, or character because people aren’t doing what you want or circumstances aren’t going your way.

The ancient Greeks had a word for this: makrothumeo, which means patient endurance, or to endure afflictions. Life is filled with afflictions, so we need endurance to withstand what is set against us.

But patient endurance is difficult unless there is a worldview to accompany it. In other words, you have to first understand that things take time, people will disappoint you, and staying consistent over an extended period of time will bring reward. Unless you keep and guard this awareness, you’ll continue to be beset with frustration.

Master the Moment

How do you develop patience? By staying aware that you’ll always be tested. You master yourself by mastering the moment, because life is nothing more than a succession of moments. The better you master the moment, the better you’ll master your life.

When you feel the ensuing pressure of resistance, then remind yourself of the big picture. When your kids get on your nerves, then elevate your mind above the moment and see a grander vision. See your kids in their ideal form. See their future. Remember, your frustration is only because you’ve lost sight of the big picture and are now trapped in the moment.

When your plans get delayed, you can endure the setback if you have a clear eye as to the value of what you’re working towards. When trouble is rocking you at work, turn away from the conflict to re-center yourself. It’s the impatient reaction that could cost you your job. Remember, we don’t react—we act!

The only way to learn patient endurance is to go through trials, but you don’t have to wait a lifetime to learn the lessons if you start now. It is the quality of a leader to remain calm during a storm, and it’s during unstable times that people look for persons of stability.

Metal up!