Keep Calm and...

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
-John Quincy Adams

President Adams certainly knew what he was talking about.  I've been thinking a lot about patience.  Not to toot my own horn, but my strongest trait is my patience.  I have been told that I have the 'patience of a saint'.  I never really had to learn to be patient.  It just came naturally.  But I have experienced impatience.  It was not a pleasant experience.
The last time I lost my patience, I got really angry with the situation I was in, which resulted in me quitting my job as a shift manager at a restaurant.  (It all worked out in the end.  I love my current job!)  What I learned from this experience was the difference between getting angry and getting frustrated. 
I don't know about you, but when I get angry, I tend to only focus on that which has angered me.  By dwelling upon the situation, I just get angrier and angrier until I eventually give up.
When I am frustrated, however, I can still find ways to resolve the problem.  I am stressed out, but not to the point of giving up.  I am still able to think clearly and get through whatever problem I am facing.
Patience plays a big part in this.  When I get frustrated, I haven't quite gotten to the point where I have lost my patience.  When I get angry, though, all patience is gone.  As you can see, patience can be important in deciding what kind of mood you will be in.  For me, I just keep in mind that through patience, I tend to better get things done. 
The number one cause of people losing patience, in my opinion, is usually in dealing with other people.  No one thinks the way I do, acts exactly the same way I do.  It's easy to lose patience with them.  I just keep in mind that everyone is human.  Everyone makes mistakes.  You shouldn't lose patience with someone because of a mistake they made when you make mistakes in your life as well.  Just remember that in order to love life, you need to keep calm and be patient.

(On a side note, for my Christian friends, my mom taught me to never pray for patience.  Heavenly Father has a sense of humor.  He won't give you patience.  He will teach you patience.  So when you pray for patience, expect things to go terribly wrong.  It's just God trying to teach you a lesson!)