Have you been in the waiting mode lately? The answer for most reading this would be absolutely, even though you might not be quite clear on what you've been waiting for. I think we all have a tendency to wake up each morning thinking about something that we need, want, hope for, or dream about, whether its pancakes for breakfast, a new car, or new job. It's good that we have hope for good things to come our way, it keeps us moving forward with a spark in our lives. And let's face it, with all the bad that goes on in the world, we need some good things sprinkled here and there.
However, what if we've been waiting for something for months, or even years, that we can't seem to let go of yet? These things are probably more serious, deep seeded, or complicated and need more time to unfold, or heaven forbid, it might be something that's not right for you and will never happen or show up. Or may show up in an entirely different way than we thought. Just because we want something or someone doesn't mean that it's right for us, or that we will win out in the end because of our determination and persistence. Sometimes we have to trade that persistence for humility and patience, which of course is easier said than done when you've been focused on and waiting for something for a long time.
So how do we learn to wait patiently and expectantly, when our minds and hearts want so desperately to just get on with it, get the good stuff now? Well, for me, it helps to go back a bit and see the things that I had waited for in the past, and how in the end I either received them, accomplished them, or had to eventually let them go.........or they arrived with a twist, which I found I rather enjoyed. Now I understand, we all what we want, when and how we want it, but let's face it, life just isn't that easy. So you might as well figure out a way to be at peace while you're waiting instead of it turning you inside out with worry, fret, anxiety, anger, frustration which is not particularly good for you, or heaven for bid those around you. Always keep in mind, there is always someone in the line of fire when things are not going the way you think they should, and if there's one thing for sure, we do have the capacity to bruise those closest to us without meaning to.
Now for those who have a real problem with patience, or waiting for anything, you're going to have to try even harder than the average person. That's OK....don't let it stop you from at least trying. It may just take a little longer to get the knack of it, but you have to start somewhere. First of all you have to, of course, stop and think about whether this is an issue for you, and you can stop at any point during the day and see what it does to your body when you start thinking about what you're not getting right now.....or if being in the waiting mode causes you to be anxious, angry or upset in anyway. Do your shoulders draw up, stomach feel icky, or head start to hurt. And as unpleasant as this sounds, it's actually a good place to start because you can actually see what it does to you physically when you have too many unanswered questions. In fact, for right now, this IS in fact the place to start before you do anything else or try to change how you think about your waiting mode. Tomorrow I will address what to do next!
