I was depressed and going through a long period of stressful situations. I needed to call people for encouragement and strength. When I called on the phone, I could tell if they were thinking, "Oh no, not another time." When someone sounded sincerely happy to help me even though I called numerous times, I was extremely grateful. It was these good-hearted souls who saved my life.

I had a close relative who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He would ask questions and forget the answers a few minutes later. I was finding it difficult to answer the same things over and over again.

I recalled an idea I heard about from an expert on self-improvement about a great sage who would repeat each idea to a slow student four hundred times. Once the student was distracted by someone who came to extend an invitation to his teacher. The sage said that he would go after he finished teaching his student. After the usual four hundred reviews, he asked his student if he understood that day’s lesson. The student said that the thought of his teacher’s imminent departure greatly distracted him and he couldn’t concentrate as well as he usually did.

"Don’t worry," the teacher replied. "I’ll repeat the idea even another four hundred times."

Why did this great teacher spend so much time with this limited student?

The expert on self-improvement explained that the teacher was improving in the attribute of patience each and every time he repeated an idea. These were four hundred exercises to integrate the trait of patience.

This influenced me to become more patient with my relative both for his sake and my own. I felt good each time I repeated something. What was most amazing to me was the fact that I could now enjoy something that was previously a source of irritation. I hope to be able to apply this reframe in many areas of my life.