A Few Thoughts On Waiting

This past year I have spent a fair amount of time waiting. Whether it was waiting for a train, for a coffee, or for something so much more. You will miss an awful lot in life if you spend all of your free time waiting for what you want to come next.

Obviously, it’s inevitable that you will have to wait. Your life is not on demand, and there are certain times where a healthy amount of patience is required.

But these are not the times I am talking about.

The times that have burned their imprint into my memory are the times where the waiting took over the moment and where the waiting became more prominent than the actual occurrence itself.

You can’t just spend your entire life waiting for the story to continue. You’ve got to keep writing it yourself.

You can’t just sit and wait for him to come back, for him to remember that one moment when you were everything.

You can’t stay idle and alone while you wait for him to decide if maybe you are just too much.

You can’t just sit back and hope for that one day you walk into work, and your job will finally appreciate you for the months of hard work you’ve given them.

The longer you sit and wait for your life to get better, the longer you delay your own personal growth.

You can’t expect a flower to grow without water, just like you can’t expect yourself to thrive without action.

We have always been taught that “good things come to those who wait.” But what no one tells you is that this waiting often makes us miss the good things. Maybe you are waiting for your ex to come back, but in doing so, you missed an opportunity to meet someone really special. Maybe you think that if you hold out just a little bit longer at your toxic job, the environment will change so you decide against applying for what could have finally been your way out.

Maybe you are waiting for the day you wake up and finally feel better, but maybe all of this waiting is what is making you feel bad in the first place.

Yes, we should all practice patience, but being patient does not equate to being miserable. If you are not happy, you do not have to sit and wait until your situation changes because there is no guarantee that it ever will. Change is scary and sometimes messy, but what I have found to be even scarier is the possibility of being stuck in toxicity for the rest of your life. Some of us are afraid to make waves for fear of the repercussions or drama that could unfold, but just imagine how much farther you could go on a strong current than on a path that stays completely still.

Don’t let the waiting consume your life. If you want your world to improve, you have to agree to take the first step. Sure, there is a chance that things will improve over time, but there is also a chance that they will not. And in the end, you will see that even the smallest movements can change your whole trajectory.