"One day as I was sitting in traffic, waiting, I started thinking about all the time we spend waiting in life. We wait in traffic, we wait in line at the grocery store, and we may wait for a promotion or a relationship to turn around. We also might wait for a prayer to be answered. It seems we spend a lot of time in the waiting room of life." -Victoria Osteen
There are some things in life that we all wait on. We find ourselves waiting on quite a bit. In the military it's always 'hurry up and wait'. We never get to relax because the little things we can't control, we find ourselves getting impatient. When we go out to eat at a restaurant, we expect that there will be a wait time. We accept the food has to be prepared, the server has multiple tables so we are accustomed to having a delay, the bartender has many drinks to make so we allow for that to take time too. Once in a while you'll get that person that expects their food and beverage to be ready right then. No waiting. Depends on the person I guess. In most part, we will wait for a short time as long as it is acceptable.
Waiting On That Love
How long does it take to realize waiting is no longer an option? The concept of a relationship for example is a LONG wait. Maybe the other person is trying to figure themselves out. Quite possibly there's an external influence that is making the relationship harder. Could be alcohol/drug abuse, fear of commitment, timing problems, etc. What can actually be done? Some people are so forgiving and accepting of pain and embarrassment, but then will not tolerate having to wait on their 'ship to come in'. There are people that actually will allow themselves to be broken, battered, and belittled by others and wait for the aggressor to change but seem to have the hardest time with waiting on success.
I get it. It's hard to think outside the box. Seems logical that if you care about something or someone the only thing to do is wait. With that said, indulge in my though process for a minute. How long is TOO long? It does depend on the persons' comfort level. Maybe you love someone so much that you feel compelled to it. If that's the case, then it's something you have to accept. That love will bind you and you can't move forward. However, if it's out of 'comfort', then what is the point? You're comfortable being with someone that will not meet you half way? You're actually okay with someone taking up your time with drama and bullshit for no reason other than you believing the endgame will be 'worth it'? Sure, keep on doing that. We all will fall victim to a bad relationship but if there is no give and take then what is the purpose of exhausting all your resources on someone that doesn't care nor understand what you are trying to accomplish?
Waiting On That Payday
So, how is it that we can wait on a meal at a restaurant (even when we're starving) but find it so impossible to wait and invest in ourselves for success? Some people spend countless hours and money at Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun trying to hit that BIG ONE so that they can pay up their bills, provide a more comfortable life for their children and themselves, or the desire to have bigger and better things and all the while dwindling their money down to nothing so if they should hit it big it's probably money they sunk into the place anyway. When I think about it, I've probably spent thousands on scratch tickets hoping to get that payday since I turned 18. If I had invested that money, or saved it over all this time I'd have a chunk of change in the bank right now. It's the instant gratification that we're truly after. That one get rich quick idea after another. Putting in the least amount of investment and getting the most back.
Everyone loves the idea of the underdog. We all know that the top 1% controls the 99%. We all want to be there. To never have to worry about money or bills again. That's why we do the things we do. People get all hype when they do hit big, but how many invest it? Very few I'm sure. They decide to spend it all on things they wouldn't normally have access to. Bigger house, bigger car, everything BIGGER. What many fail to realize all those things cost more to run and manage and that money can dwindle to nothing again.
Waiting On Self-Improvements
It truly amazes me how many resolutions come about at the beginning of any calendar year. Gyms get busier (for about a month) and people resolve to do better, be better, or live better. Take your pick. People are gung ho about self-improvements but for one reason or another they decide to wait until the next day or later. Then we realize that later gets later... and later... and later until way too much time has passed and then feel it's too late to try again. Maybe go back to school or get a degree. Then comes the excuses. It's too expensive, it's to far to travel, it's not going to fit in my schedule... so they wait even longer. It is a vicious cycle. Self-improvements take far too much investment and they will require not only an initial investment, but a LONG TERM investment and sometimes you won't even see results for months or years depending what you're trying to change. Again, all about that "Right here, right now".
The Weight of Waiting
It takes a certain grit and mentality to be able to handle patiently waiting. I believe the reason why some people are impatient is because they wait without purpose. There's a reason why servers bring drinks out first. That's so you're doing something while your food is being prepped and you can enjoy the beverage while that's happening. Commercials are there to serve as a break while watching TV. When you're waiting there has to be something happening so that the endgame doesn't seem so far. Imagine if people invested in themselves while waiting to get promoted? Taking every training possible and learning all aspects of their job so that they can be ready if and when the time comes for that promotion? That promotion would lead to more money. Some would rather keep switching jobs with a higher pay, but never staying long enough to build longevity. Instant gratification is so much easier than putting in work to attain it.
Our ethic has to change in order for people to be better. Investments require research, thought, and most of all patience. When someone makes a stock investment, they read the prospectus, look at past history, and upon investing they watch the stock rise and fall and carefully consider the selling and redemption of that stock. The 1% knows this. What if we all did that in our lives with our jobs? In relationships? Everyday conflicts that need to be resolved?
It's too hard to wait some would say. On the flip side, waiting with an urgent matter that requires a decision or action is just plain lazy. Sure it's easier to wait to fix a situation that requires our actions. Paying a bill, stopping to get gas for our cars cause it's too cold out, even something as menial as washing clothes. It's human nature to be able to wait when action is required on our part, but when someone else has to do something we want it done right now. Why? If all our actions were well thought out and executed with precision, the world would be a much better place.
To finish this out.... there's an old saying I'd like to share:
Until next time readers. As always, share my blog, comment, or think about what I typed.
