WATCH

Take a moment to be present and observe what is happening right now. What do you see, smell, and hear? What is actually happening in the present moment? Imagine you are simply a camera, taking in everything in your field of awareness, without judgment or commentary.

ACCEPT

Allow that what is here is here… because it’s here! You can’t change the length of the line. You can’t change the fact that it’s a new employee being trained in and the line’s going to move a little bit slower.

INVESTIGATE

What stories are you making up right now? Are you trying to convince yourself that the lines are long ONLY when YOU are in the store? Are you telling yourself that YOU are in a big hurry … and OMG, why can’t everyone else just hurry the $%&@ up!?

Once you know what stories you’re telling yourself, go back to your camera view from the first step. Is your story true? Is there evidence to support it? You’ll likely find that a lot of what you’re telling yourself is based on assumptions and incomplete information.

Can you drop the story?

TEND

No one likes waiting in line. You may indeed be in a big hurry, with lots on your plate today, and perhaps an impatient toddler who’s making the wait unbearable. Tend to yourself with compassion. Simply tell yourself, “Yes, this is hard right now. What can I do to be kind to myself?” Maybe it’s finding a place to sit. Maybe it’s realizing you’ll simply have to return to the store another day. Maybe it’s striking up a conversation with another person in lin