The Waiting is The Hardest Part
Waiting is something I’ve done all my life. I’ve had lots of practice. When I was a kid, my sister and I would order novelty toys out of the back of comic books.
I would send my money (usually dollar bills and coins, I didn’t know any better) in an envelope, off to the Johnson Smith Company in Michigan.
And then I’d wait.
Every day for weeks I would wait for the mailman hoping I could speed up the delivery process. Every day I’d be disappointed when the package never arrived.
Finally it did…and I was disappointed then.
We had ordered a 7 foot glow in the dark Frankenstein. I’d had visions in my head of an intricately sculpted replica of Borris Karloff as Frankenstein standing in our house that would glow in the dark! We’d be able to scare neighborhood kids to death. It was going to be great! There would be a lined around the block to see it with ambulances standing by.
What came that day was not a 7 foot tall statue. It was an 8 X 12 flat Manila envelope. Inside was a folded white plastic sheet that had an image of Frankenstein.
What a let down!
I still have these moments of waiting. Waiting for residual checks to come for a commercial that I know is playing. Hoping that those magical checks will be the answers to all of my problems.
Ultimately they’re not. I’ve had a few nice deliveries over the years, but they are very few and far between. When they do come, the luster of these checks doesn’t last very long.
There are times that we have to wait, but I think we can fill those times with other helpful practices.
One that comes to mind is reflection. What better time to check in with yourself to see where you are at the moment. What have you been doing lately, what have you been learning lately? Michael Hyatt covered this lately in a recent podcast regarding guarding your more important asset, your heart.
How are you feeling about what you’re waiting for? Are you anxious? Are all of your eggs in this one basket? Check those feelings, if they are on the more negative, then positive side try to find out what’s going on with yourself. It’s all right to have those pre-action jitters, it’s your body getting you ready for action. However, if there is dread in there or you’re hearing a voice that says “if this doesn’t show up I’m doomed” then what’s that about? Talk to someone about those feelings.
Reflection in the midst of waiting can spark new ideas that could lead you down the path to new action and direction in your life.
Share with me your waiting times, in the comments section or on my Facebook page. What was it for, how did you feel and what happened at the end of your waiting period? I look forward to hearing your stories.