Are you ready to move forward in some area of your life, but deep down, you know it’s not time yet? Are you being given the opportunity to practice patience while you wait? 

I get it; in fact, I’m there right now while I wait for surgery approval. Of course, I am stoked about the surgery and look forward to leaving this chapter behind. But in my heart, I know that everything will fall into place at the perfect time. And until that happens, it’s all just a matter of patience.

Inside this post, I share seven things that have assisted me in practicing patience while waiting for surgery over the last few months. No matter what you are waiting for, I hope these tips can also help you cultivate more patience.

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The wait for surgery approval

I have been at home for over two years focusing on healing my body. And the truth is, it’s been a long, winding path with many bumps along the way.

During this time, I knew in my heart that healing was possible, but until recently, I had no idea how I would get to the other side.

A few months ago, while I was in the shower, I had an image pop into my mind’s eye of a short energetic pathway and on the other side, I could see myself healed and living my best life.

From that moment, I knew healing was coming. I didn’t know the ‘how,’ simply that it was possible to get there and that the opportunity was coming.

Within a couple of weeks, I learned about a new surgery created for people in my situation. And I knew it was the right path for me because when I learned about it, I felt hope course throughout my entire being.

My heart said YES! So I started walking the new path. And now, I’m waiting for approval to receive thoracic duct bypass surgery. And I’m so excited!

Getting this surgery would mean that I can eat a nutritious diet, exercise and build muscle, eat out at restaurants, have the energy to go all in and take action on my dreams, and travel the world once again.

Whenever I check in with my heart about the surgery, I know I am on the right path. But it’s taking longer than usual to have the surgery because I need the approval to go out of the country to receive it.

So for the last while, I’ve been given the opportunity to practice patience. And truthfully, it’s challenging at times. I’ve been experiencing this medical issue for over two years, and I’ve just learned about a pathway to healing. So, of course, I can’t wait to get to the other side.

But first, patience. 

7 Tips for Practicing Patience: What helped me practice patience while waiting for surgery

Are you in a similar situation, sweet friend? Are you waiting for something to happen, but it’s not time yet? 

Maybe you are also waiting for healing? Or perhaps you are excited to get to the other side of a move and have everything unpacked and organized in your home? Or maybe you are planning to make a career move but need some things to fall into place first?

Whatever it may be, patience is key, and to live our most joyful lives, it’s a skill we must cultivate.

Here are the seven things that have assisted me the most with practicing patience while I wait for surgery: 

1. Remembering that I’m not alone and that I don’t have to figure anything out on my own

When you find yourself deep in the unknown, it’s normal to feel like you are all alone and that you have to figure everything out yourself. But I’m here to remind you that’s not true. 

We all have a divine support team (made up of those in spirit who are supporting us in this lifetime) ready to assist us in every moment. In fact, they are excited to help you. But you need to ask for help because we all have free will. 

Also, when we attempt to figure things out on our own, we often limit the possibilities. There’s a much bigger universe out there that’s infinitely creative and knows the best possible course of action for us to take.

So we don’t have to go through life all alone. Assistance is available to us if only we open our minds and hearts to the possibilities and ask.

If you find yourself trying to figure things out on your own, check out this short video 👇

One of the most powerful things I do to begin each day is to ask my spiritual team to assist me throughout the day in every way in all the best ways possible in alignment with my highest good. 

It has made a significant difference in my life. By asking for this assistance, I can relax and let go. And in turn, practicing patience is easier because I know I’m being divinely guided, supported, and protected throughout each day in the best ways for me. 

In my heart, I know that the universe is doing what it can to get the surgery for me at the perfect time. There’s this bigger plan happening in the background that I don’t know about, and I don’t need to know. I just need to know I am being helped and on the right path. 

2. Paying attention to my dreams

A couple of months ago, I was waiting for confirmation from the hospital that they had received everything they needed to review my file for the surgery. I thought it would be a simple process, but it didn’t go smoothly because their system wasn’t working properly, and the communication from their end wasn’t what I’d hoped. 

This went on for a couple of weeks. And so, instead of trying to make things happen (because I had already done everything I could, short of emailing them again), I chose to take a step back and ask the universe for assistance with the process so that we could move forward. 

A couple of days later, I dreamed I had received an email saying everything was in place for the review. And sure enough, that email came through to my inbox shortly after. And this wasn’t the only time it happened.

I am always in awe of the guidance that comes to me at night. But I’m not the only one that receives guidance at night; this can (and does) happen for you as well! Whether you remember it or not, it is common for us to travel to the spiritual realm while we sleep, and we can receive messages and signs while we are there. 

Paying attention to my dreams assisted me with practicing patience because I could see those emails come through before they arrived. I knew that things were happening on the subtle level before they arrived on the physical. Therefore, there was nothing I needed to do but wait for the arrival of those emails and then take the next step as guided.

I highly recommend journaling about your dreams when you wake up, especially when you’ve asked the universe for assistance. Sending us guidance through our dreams is one of the easiest ways for us to receive it. The more you journal about your dreams, the more you will remember each night. It’s a powerful practice, and you never know what might come through.

Related: The Best Dream Dictionary to Interpret Your Dreams

3. Focusing on the day at hand and making the most out of what I have

Our lives are happening right now, in the present moment. Yes, we all have things we are excited about in the future. In my case, it’s getting to the other side of the surgery. In yours, it might be a move abroad, a new business, the birth of a child, or something else.

But our lives are not happening in the future. And if we keep looking to the future for our happiness, our lives will pass us by.

If there was only one thing I could impart to you from this post, it’s this: joy is always found in the present moment. And in each moment, we have the opportunity to connect with joy.

Related: The Secret of Joy | 1 Minute Insights with Sara Monk

My life isn’t exactly where I want it to be yet. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t experience joy. In fact, my days are filled with joy.

Every morning we have a choice when it comes to what we will focus on that day. Now, I could choose to focus on the future when the surgery occurs and on those things that I cannot do right now. But how does that serve me? That certainly won’t set me up for a day full of possibilities.  

Instead, I choose to focus on the day at hand and the things I can do. For instance, I can use my voice and share my experience with you inside this post. I can enjoy the sunshine in my backyard on a beautiful spring day, spend quality time with my partner and furry friend, take a relaxing shower, read a good book and drink my favourite daily beverage (spoiler: it’s kombucha). And these are just some of the wonderful opportunities available to me every day. 

Focusing on the day at hand and making the most out of what I have assists me with practicing patience because I’m not spending my time focusing on the surgery and limiting the possibilities by focusing on what I can’t do right now. I’m choosing to live inside the day that I’m in and to experience each day to its fullest.

4. Doing a daily card reading 

I love a daily card reading. Lately, I’ve been doing one to find out the best thing for me to do or focus on each day. I find this practice helpful when it comes to practicing patience because it gives me a focus for the day (so I’m not focusing on the surgery), and it gives me steps that I can take that would be beneficial for me at that time.

For example, the other day, I wasn’t feeling it when I showed up at my desk to write. So I pulled out my cards and asked what the most important thing was for me to focus on that day, and the card that came up was healing. I then let go of any notions of writing and instead switched my focus to drinking enough water and taking some time just to be.

Later that afternoon, while I was outside reading a book, the words started pouring in for this blog post. And before I knew it, I had written a draft for the post. Ironically, I often do my best writing when I’m relaxing and not focused on writing.

A daily card reading assists me with navigating the energy of each day because every day is different. Some days I need to rest and let go of the attachment to doing something. On other days I am ready to take action. I never know what kind of day it will be. I often find it best to set my plans aside and be open to what comes up in my card readings.

The oracle deck I’ve been working with every day is The Sacred Forest Oracle by Denise Linn. The deck has just the guidance I need for my daily practice of asking about what to focus on. 

Related: 3 Essential Steps Before You Connect with Spirit

5. Meditating Daily

When things aren’t going according to your plan, it can be easy to find yourself more in alignment with your ego than your heart. And when this happens, impatience often roils its ugly head.

A daily meditation practice is key for me because it helps me keep my mind clear so I can consciously stay connected with my heart and the universe. 

Most days, I can sit quietly and reach a receptive state to connect with my higher self and spiritual team. But sometimes, I need extra assistance.

For example, the other day, I found myself in a moment of not-so-good what-ifs regarding the surgery. Thankfully, I was able to recognize those thoughts.

To get myself out of that state as soon as possible, I put on a sound journey from the Mindspa App by Synctuition (it’s my favourite meditation app). I felt so much better afterwards. And as a result of just that one session, I was able to reconnect with my heart and the universe and trust that everything is working out in the best ways possible for me. 

Meditation assists me with practicing patience by bringing me back to the present moment and back into a state of trusting the universe’s plan no matter how things might seem.

Related: 3 Ways I Use Synctuition

6. Releasing my attachment to how I think things should be

At the time of writing this, I have done everything I can in order to go through the process of receiving approval for the surgery. And the only thing that’s left for me to do right now is surrender to the process. 

If I had it my way, I would have had the surgery by now. But the truth is, the process of receiving the surgery has been more lengthy than I had hoped. In fact, several months have passed by to get me where I am now.  

In any situation, we always have a choice regarding how we perceive it. If I didn’t release my attachment to how I think things should be, I would probably be experiencing frustration about the timing, and I would most likely be trying to swim against the current by attempting to make things happen on my own. And I know this because that’s what I would have done in the past. But once again, these things don’t serve me, and they definitely don’t bring in joy or open me up to the possibilities.

Instead, when it comes to how I’ve approached this situation, I chose to surrender to the process and trust that everything is falling into place at the perfect timing. With this belief, practicing patience comes with ease. I can take a step back, relax, and know I’m being cared for. I’ve taken action in all the areas that I was guided to. I’m simply waiting for the next step to show up.

I’m not exactly sure where I’m at in the process, but what if things are even better than I’ve imagined? What if I’m further in the process than I believe? As I said earlier, the universe is infinitely creative and often has a better plan of action for us than we can come up with.

There’s a bigger picture at play that we cannot see, and often there are many pieces of the puzzle that need to fall into place when it comes to the opportunities in our lives. I don’t know what the universe needs to set up before I have that surgery, but I know intuitively that things are happening in the background. And with some patience, I will get where I need to be.

Related: The Power of Patience: 6 Ways to Cultivate Patience

7. Asking for signs from the universe

Asking for signs from the universe is a powerful way to receive confirmation that we are in the right place and that everything is working out. It has assisted me with practicing patience because when I receive confirmation signs, I know that things are happening in the background to get me where I need to be.  

The other day, I wondered how everything was going. So I asked the universe for a sign that everything was working out when it came to receiving the surgery. 

That night, I dreamed that a deceased person had left a plan in place for me to follow to overcome a situation. All the steps were there; I only needed to follow them. I didn’t have to plan anything; if I took those steps, all would be well. 

When I woke up, I felt that the universe was saying that there was a plan in place and everything would work out.

Later that day, I went to purchase an ebook and forgot that I had a gift card on file. As a result, the ebook cost ended up totalling $4.44, and the number immediately stuck out to me as a sign. In fact, the number 4 ended up coming up a few times that day.

I’ve learned that the angel number 444 can signify that your angels are looking out for you and that positive change is coming soon, and to be prepared for those changes. 

What’s more, is that over the next two days, the universe sent a raven my way. The first day it flew over my yard until I could confirm it was a raven. And the second day, the raven was there when I opened my patio door. So I relayed to my spirit team what I felt the message was, and that’s when the raven departed. 

Ravens often bring messages of magic at play in our lives, of transition and healing.

What beautiful signs to receive! I am now focusing on preparing for the surgery because it may be coming sooner than I thought. 

Related: How to Quiet Mind Chatter to Receive Spiritual Guidance

So those are the 7 tips for practicing patience that have assisted me while I wait for surgery. Patience as a theme has been coming up recently over and over again in my life and the lives of those around me. Since you are reading this, I’m going to guess that it’s the case for you too. I hope something in here also assists you during your wait with practicing patience, sweet friend. 

With Love,

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Featured Photo Credit: Sara Monk

How is the theme of patience coming up in your life currently? Let me know in the comments below! 

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