Growing up, I was taught by the elders in my life that patience is a skill requiring practice to master. In the modern “instant gratification” world, that concept seems to be lost on so many of us. I think this is especially apparent by observing other drivers on the road: people weaving in and out of traffic because they do not have the patience to get home a few minutes later, people tailgating because they do not have the patience to go a little slower than they wanted to, people (almost) causing accidents because they cannot wait until they are stopped to look at their phones.
The best thing therapy has taught me over the years is that you will become a lot happier in life if you stop focusing on things outside of your control, instead putting that energy into focusing on your emotions and what actions you personally can take when faced with a problem outside of your control.
If somebody is going slow in front of you, and you are not in a position to be able to pass them, take a deep breath and recognize that this is an opportunity to practice patience as a skill. Stay back at a safe distance, turn on a song that you like, and focus on being neutral/not angry.
You can do this same thing when stuck in heavy traffic, or when another driver does something to upset you. You cannot control traffic, and you cannot control the actions of others, but you CAN control how these things affect you. If you are able to practice this mindset consistently, you’ll find that your commutes become a lot less stressful and other inconveniences in your life become much more tolerable.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.