Do you get irritated when you’re waiting for something?
Do you get frustrated in a traffic jam? Do you tap your foot while waiting for the microwave? How about a line at the grocery store? How do you feel about that? These are pretty ordinary “waiting” situations that we all have on a regular basis. The thing to consider is how do you typically respond to a waiting scenario.
We live in world that is full of instant, or at least close to instant, gratification. The challenge with this is the deeper implication of not wanting to wait for things…actually to our detriment. Because the things that are the BEST for us, the things that are the most MEANINGFUL, the things that are the most CHERISHED, the things that are most VALUABLE, these things do not happen quickly. They require waiting.
Patience isn’t waiting…it’s waiting with a good attitude
I can’t take credit for this wisdom, I read the idea in a Joyce Meyer book, but it is right on the money. Aside from fear, I think the number two biggest thing that holds the majority back from living the life they would want, is lacking patience. Without patience, we give up too fast. There are so many other things calling for our attention, asking for our time, and promising something good immediately that we often turn our back on the things that require investing ourselves over the long haul….and this leads to catastrophic outcomes. Being impatient, means going after the quick fix weight loss instead of the doing the right things. The result? In the long run…heavier, unhealthier, worse quality of life….and if you look around over half of society is walking proof.
Being impatient means giving up on the dream or goal to do the thing you really want to do in life, and then settling for the immediate gratification of a job that is paying more now, or going after the thing that is promising the quick buck, the fast riches. The result? 80% of the people spend their life working in jobs they don’t like and about 95% struggle financially their entire life…the proof is next to you in your workplace, next to you on the highway…
I don’t hope for the wait, but I’ve learned to enjoy it…
Most of the time. Not all the time. I’m human. But since the majority of life, especially a life well lived, is spent in the mode of investing time in the things that matter most….fitness, relationships, pursuits, endeavors, ideals, dreams, etc. And these things inherently have major benchmarks (goals), then most of the time, we are putting in the sweat and energy in the waiting period…this is where we should get the joy! If we’re only happy when the $20,000 per month check comes in, and not in the journey(wait) that is necessary, then, unfortunately we won’t be happy with the $20,000 check very long…Because we’ll be focused on what’s next!
The last thing I need to clarify, lest you get the wrong impression…is waiting in this sense is not waiting around, doing nothing, for something to happen. It is actively pursuing with passion and waiting for the result you are seeking….another simple lesson that leads to professional success and success in any area of life regardless of who you are.
