Silent Observation and Patience
Want to know a secret tool that will help you face any difficulties or obstacles life deals you with? It’s the ability to be patient and observe silently. As human beings, there are some behavioral attributes that we are born with and some that we need to cultivate in our life for a better and happier life. Patience and silence are two such virtues that only the wise among us learn and develop over time.
A person without any patience will be paralyzed with fear and won’t be able to confront any difficulties. Both patience and silence are virtues that not everyone can learn to cultivate or manage. Similarly, silence and being a silent observer is an important virtue that goes together with learning to be patient. In this article, we are going to talk about these two attributes and why we need to cultivate them.
What Does It Mean by Silent Observation, and Why You Need to Practice It?
There’s a huge benefit of being the silent person in the room. Want to know what it is? Well, a quiet person has the capability of being an excellent silent observer. And silent observers tend to have great impact and power over others if you know how to use them properly.
Now, what silent observation does? We human beings tend to talk a lot, don’t we? And sometimes, all we do is keep talking instead of paying attention to what others are saying. Silent observation asks you to be patient and listen and observe others’ behaviors so that you can pick up better clues. So silent observation allows us to watch situations unfold slowly; it provides the necessary insight, reveals any hidden information, and clarifies the confusion. Silent observation also helps us shift our perspective and view things from a different light.
Does being a silent observer mean not speaking the truth? Well, of course not. A silent observer knows when to remain silent and when it’s time to voice their opinion. Silent observations allow us to observe everything from people to things to our inner selves and nature itself.
Silent observation is necessary as it can help you learn and understand more about your environment and relationships. Here are some benefits of being a good silent observer:
- • People who have learned to silently observe can focus their attention on doing a particular thing no matter the noises or distractions around.
- • If you have managed to develop your skill of silent observation, then you will be able to focus your undivided attention on creative works.
- • Silent observation allows you to be more self-aware. It allows you to know yourself better and be more comfortable in your skin.
- • Learning to observe silently helps you get in touch with your inner being or soul. A silent observer knows how to connect with oneself as well as the magic of the universe.
- • Silent observations allow you to heal through your past disappointments and trauma. Silently observing yourself will allow dormant issues to rise, and then you can allow yourself to heal from that.
Understanding the Importance of Patience
A person who has learned to be patient no matter the situation possesses a rare quality and a great virtue. All of us have heard the phrase “man proposes and God disposes,” haven’t we? And this is extremely true with life. We, humans, tend to plan and expect a lot. But how many times have you got the results you had expected when you expected? Let’s face it, that hardly happens in life. Things generally tend to go against our desires. And
this is why being patient becomes much more important. Knowing to wait for things to change in our favor is what helps us learn to be patient and persevere.
Being patient also means not surrendering and giving up hope. Patience brings calmness and the ability to accept things as they are. This will help you to remain clear-headed and act accordingly. This allows you to respond to a situation instead of reacting to it. Patience also allows you to implement the proper counter-measures and seize the moment.
Here are some reasons why you need to have more patience in life:
- • Having focus helps you focus on your goals long term. A patient person doesn’t expect results overnight, so they keep working hard towards their end goal without getting distracted. Even if you have a minor setback, being patient will help you bounce back sooner and still keep at it.
- • Want to be successful in life? Well, you can’t be a quitter then. No one is going to be willing to invest in you and your ideas if you quit at the drop of a hat. So be patient and prove to everyone that you are in it for the long haul. This, in turn, will allow people to trust in you.
- • Want to be a people magnet? Well, then being patient is the answer. Let’s face it no one would want to deal with a short-tempered person at work. A patient person understands the mistakes and helps correct them instead of being negative and criticizing constantly.
- • We human beings are emotional creatures. If you become too emotional too soon, you are bound to make wrong choices and decisions. A patient person doesn’t let their emotions override their rational thinking. Patience, therefore, helps you make more mindful and rational choices.
- • With our current lifestyles and hectic schedules, it is difficult to maintain proper physical and mental health. People who are patient and take things slowly tend to have better physical and mental health. In fact, both are related in a way; cultivating positive thoughts helps improve your mental health, and the happier you are, the better your physical health is going to be.
True wisdom lies in being patient and observing silently. A lot of other things like productivity, accuracy, efficiency, and speed depend on how patient and how much of a good silent observer you are. Spiritual and wise people know the value of these attributes. They understand that being a silent observer and watching patiently helps conserve energy and focus our attention on worthy causes.
Wow, Diana! Great picture to start with…!
You are absolutely right! Silence and Patience have always been present in my whole life. Sometimes people tag me for being untruthful just because I keep quiet when everybody’s chatting though. It’s never been easy being different among the crowds…
Your post is so clear and pleasant that I guess anyone can and should follow your advice through success!
Thanks for sharing and keep safe!
Thank you for your comments
I fully believe this and it is a great way to think through a situation better. Patience and time away from a problem or issue always helps me. I can rethink it, come up with solutions, or realize that it’s me that needs to change. I learn a lot from doing this. I am shy by nature anyway, so I do like to listen and people watch, as opposed to always engaging a conversation. You can learn so much!
Thank you for your comments, time away from the issue helps a lot.
This is a well-articulated insightful article. The virtue of patience and silence are rarely discussed. They have a lot of benefits as you listed some of them in your writing. These days, everybody acts like a parrot. Everybody is busy talking, sharing all kinds of information, without minding who is listening or who is interested in what is being shared. No wonder our emails are filled with spam. Why because, people are just busy talking. No one is listening again. No one wants to be silent and hear his or her own voice any longer.
It takes discipline, self-control, and a sound mind to be an observer in the real sense. And it takes also the same strength of character to be in a room or a gathering where everyone is talking and you’re the only silent person. It is not as if you don’t have anything to contribute, but you just want to listen and observe how things are done. And in most cases, if you decide to speak, you find out that you speak with knowledge and understanding, because you’ve been able to listen to different opinions, and process the ideas, and then sum them up for a better idea and solution needed for a particular problem.
Also, patience as you rightly implied, will always grant stability to your emotional wellbeing. It will help you to handle any situation in a positive way because you’re not giving in to your impulses. I remember one old adage “A patient dog always eats the fattest bones.” We need patience!
Vey well said, thank you for your comments
This has been a really nice read. And I agree with you, good things in life require patience. I am working on this. In this present age, where everybody is seeking instant gratification, it’s hard to break the mold and be patient. I feel that something that can help us is to set our eyes on the long term goal.
We all prefer instant gratification, however most times we have to be patient. Hard word and dedication pays off.
I have generally been a silent person my whole life, I speak only where need be. Most never liked this attitude of mine though. It’s not because I don’t have anything to say but at times I feel that if I’m always blubbering stupid stuff then the day I want to make a point across no one will take me seriously. This article helped me look back on a lot of things about myself. Thanks a lot!
My pleasure, thank for your comments.
I really enjoyed reading your article on building silent observation and patience into our lives. About 6 years ago I went through a traumatic time with my mum getting dementia (which was made worse by my brothers’ reactions to it) but now I have found that I had to learn to really listen, observe and be patient with everyone. We were all grieving and people react in different ways. As I had been a professional musician all my life those skills of observation and adapting fast really helped.
Now, I stop, think, listen and pause before reacting and it works so much better with all my relationships. You gave some great advice.
Assessing a situation before jumping to conclusions makes life a lot easier. Listen to your mom and be patient with her your blessing will follow. Stay strong and remember to take care of yourself also.
Great article, I am a silent observer also, my friends are always like “why are you always quiet” they don’t know my mind is the loudest, being quite has always helped me a lot because I always get to understand people before they could understand me.
We learn a lot from observing, and should not allow ourselves to get carried away in useless chatter
This a very interesting article. You see when it comes to patients it really is worth it in the long run. Especially for those things that have a great benefit. I believe everyone is patient in some areas of life. However when it’s really worth it people just want it now. And in the end does nothing for one’s health . It actually just seems to make things worse.
Things do not just happen, we sometimes give up too quick.
Wow such a great post! This really came at a time where i needed it most. I have defiantly found myself failing at being patient as well as talking at times where i really wish i hadnt and can end up with regrets this post has really helped me to go over these issues in my mind and find resolve. Thank you very much.
I am happy you benefited from this article.