The Power of Patience: How to Slow the Rush and Enjoy More Happiness, Success, and Peace of Mind Every Day [Hardcover]

M. J. Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2003

It has become the norm of our fast-paced world to expect everything to happen instantaneously, and for us to become instantly aggravated when it doesn’t. The result is that we can feel frantic and rushed, stressed and unhappy nearly all the time. In The Power of Patience, M. J. Ryan teaches us how to slow the rush and reclaim the forgotten virtue of patience on a daily basis. She shows how doing so allows us to make better decisions and to feel better about ourselves every day.

As the creator of the bestselling books, Random Acts of Kindness and Attitudes of Gratitude, M.J. Ryan discovered that the classic virtues have enduring power to bring light and love into our lives. With The Power of Patience, she shares what she has learned about the gifts that this old-fashioned quality can bestow, the attitudes that foster a patient outlook, and the practical tools that help us to respond patiently in any given moment.

The Power of Patience calls on us to reclaim our time, our priorities, and our ability to respond to life with a firmly grounded sense of who we are. It is the best gift, we soon learn, that we can give ourselves.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This book is a true gift to the world. It’s insightful and full of calm, helpful wisdom.”
-Richard Carlson, author of DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

"Many good people, myself included, have problems with impatience and will
benefit, as I did, from this lively, insightful book."
-Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

"I have been a long-time fan of M.J. Ryan’s books and she continues to outdo herself with her new book, THE POWER OF PATIENCE. The book is filled with practical, heart-centered nuggets that open the door to experiencing what we all seek, infinite patience."
-Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D., author of SHORTCUTS TO GOD

"When it comes to patience, we don't have to change old habits; we can build better ones. M.J. Ryan shows us how."
-Sue Bender, author of PLAIN AND SIMPLE STRETCHING LESSONS: The Daring that Starts from Within

From the Inside Flap

It has become the norm of our fast-paced world to expect everything to happen instantaneously, and for us to become instantly aggravated when it doesn?t. The result is that we can feel frantic and rushed, stressed and unhappy nearly all the time. In The Power of Patience, M. J. Ryan teaches us how to slow the rush and reclaim the forgotten virtue of patience on a daily basis. She shows how doing so allows us to make better decisions and to feel better about ourselves every day.

As the creator of the bestselling books, Random Acts of Kindness and Attitudes of Gratitude, M.J. Ryan discovered that the classic virtues have enduring power to bring light and love into our lives. With The Power of Patience, she shares what she has learned about the gifts that this old-fashioned quality can bestow, the attitudes that foster a patient outlook, and the practical tools that help us to respond patiently in any given moment.

The Power of Patience calls on us to reclaim our time, our priorities, and our ability to respond to life with a firmly grounded sense of who we are. It is the best gift, we soon learn, that we can give ourselves.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Crown Archetype; 1 edition (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767914864
• ISBN-13: 978-0767914864
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.8 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

M.J. combines a practical business perspective gained as a CEO of a publishing company with a strength-based approach to help clients reach professional and personal goals. Using methodologies from positive psychology and neuroscience, she is able to quickly identify a client's underlying thinking talents and helps them efficiently use them to overcome challenges and maximize success. She has coached many high level executives as well as entrepreneurs and individuals around the world who want lives of greater purpose and success.

Her clients include Frito Lay, Microsoft, Royal Dutch Shell, the U.S. military, Hewitt Associates, SRAK (a joint venture between Shell and the Saudi Arabian National Oil Company), the Cowell Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club, and the town of Paradise, Ca.

She is the author of many best-selling books including her latest ADAPTABILITY: How to Survive Change You Didn't Ask For and THIS YEAR I WILL...How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution or Make A Dream Come True.

www.MJ-Ryan.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK if you're looking for a lift - however not a 'how to' book., January 3, 2008

By 

Darren Grundy (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Patience: How to Slow the Rush and Enjoy More Happiness, Success, and Peace of Mind Every Day (Hardcover)

Not a bad read. Full of anecdotes, quotes and the like of how patience has benefited peoples lives - or where its absence, has not. I was a little disappointed however by the lack of the subject matter which I bought the book for, which was - how to develop ones patience. If you are like me and are aiming higher than just a warm fuzzy feeling and want practical advice on what it takes to develop this competency, then look elsewhere.


An addendum; If your looking for practical, workable advice see - "Patience Pays Off" by James Sherman PhD or "The practicing mind" by Thomas Sterner.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power of Patience: How to Slow the Rush and Enjoy More H, May 15, 2003

By 

L. Stone "zebrinapendula" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Power of Patience: How to Slow the Rush and Enjoy More Happiness, Success, and Peace of Mind Every Day (Hardcover)

Mary Jane Ryan's POWER OF PATIENCE puts it all into perspective. Through inspiring quotes, stories, and practical suggestions, she creates an insightful, personal and very useful journey for readers. I've had the book a week and have already read it twice (the combination of a house fire, huge loss and a very bad insurance company are making me a student of patience and perspective...thank goodness for this book!). POWER OF PATIENCE would also make a terrific gift.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely good for leisure. Really helpful? Hard to tell, September 5, 2005

By 

ServantofGod - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Patience: How to Slow the Rush and Enjoy More Happiness, Success, and Peace of Mind Every Day (Hardcover)

The following passage on page 1 precisely describes my mind:-

Dear God,
I pray for patience. And I want it Right Now!
- Oren Arnold

From the above, you can tell it's hard to satisfy an impatient reader like me. However, I must say that in the previous two days when I was reading the book here and there, during various means of transport, I did have better patience or tolerance towards queues, jostlers, neightbourhood annoyances etc etc., though I dont know whether the tranquilizing effect is for long or for short.

No matter what, I love reading it for the author's shrewd writing and clever use of excellent passages from others. I am sure you wont lose your patience for or whilst reading it. Certainly good food for thought. Below please find some of my favorite quotes for your reference.

The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it. - Arnold Glasgow Pg vii

Walt Disney, for instance, was turned down 302 times before he got financing for Disneyland. Pg 11

Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience. - George Louis Leclerc de Buffon Pg 20

Your biography becomes your biology. - Caroline Myss Pg 32

I think and think for months and years, ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right. - Albert Einstein Pg 79

You cant control anything about someone else, but you have complete control of how you relate to him or her, and that, of course, will drastically impact his or her willingness to receive your viewpoint. - Tim Gallwey, The Inner Game of Work Pg 99

Judging others will avail you nothing and injure you spiritually. Only if you inspire others to judge themselves will anything worthwhile have been accomplished. - Peace Pilgrim Pg 111

If there's a defining characteristics of a man as opposed to a boy, may be it's patience.
- Lance Armstrong Pg 115

Every moment a beginning. Every moment an end. - Mark Salzman Pg 121