Today must be the day to deal with patience as the quote that I shared today also had to do with waiting. I wonder if someone is trying to tell me something. Am I over-anxious about something? Am I rushing something? Can I make myself a little on the crazy side when I feel overloaded about the things yet to do and the time (or lack thereof) when I feel like things that need to get done are not getting done because someone else has to do them? Whoa…slow down, girl. Yep, I need that from time to time. Our society has grown so accustomed to the immediate responses of technology that when we forget to be patient. Who hasn’t disliked the 4-hour window that we have to give to repair shops or the cable guy as we sit around waiting…and waiting…and waiting.
About a month ago, I was having lunch with a friend who just seemed frustrated because she is trying to move on with her life, but things keep draining back into her life that prevent her from moving forward. I get it. She thinks that for every step forward she takes, she takes three back and she just cannot get anywhere. She was feeling pretty down in the dumps and it showed. Her sense of direction seemed futile and irrelevant. Depending on the day and the events as they unfolded, time either stood still or went so fast in a blur, she still had no idea what to do next. Confusion, anger, and disappointment kept their grip on her daily. The doubting of herself and the tasks she set into motion were a constant struggle. She struggled with the willingness to continue and seriously contemplated giving up. Who would have blamed her? I certainly tried to see what she was going through.
It’s the “Hurry up and wait!” scenario that we are all too familiar with.
How many times have he heard that before? It can be difficult to wait. But even when we get frustrated, we have to stay the course. We have to stay committed. We have to follow through. Some of us want things to happen as quickly as yesterday and then when they do, we are catch ourselves wishing we had another 24 hours to catch our breath. Sometimes, things happen much too quickly than we ever thought they would. We can get distracted with minor details that appear from nowhere. Other people can try to change our focus with the words they say. Regardless of what our end goal is, we can never lose sight of it. It remains constant. It never waivers. Even if someone is telling you it cannot be done, you still move forward.
Maybe you ask yourself some of these questions…
How do we stop from being frustrated?
How come every time I take one step in the direction I need to go, I fall down?
Why does it feel like I never get anywhere?
When will something good happen for me?
Now the big question…how do I stay the course?
1. Stop complaining. It gets old. We all could complain about something. There is a difference between venting and complaining. How do you know the difference — when you tell the tell the same story more than once, it is complaining. Usually venting is more in the “heat of the moment.”
2. Find a solution. Figure out what is in your way or preventing you from getting where you want to be. Change what is going on around you. If that cannot be done, then change what you are doing.
3. Send an SOS. Asking for help is near the bottom of my bag of tricks, but sometimes, you just have to reach to someone else. Maybe they have an idea you haven’t thought of yet. Or better yet, just a different way of looking at the problem.
4. Adapt. Let go of expectations. Deadlines are going to come and go. There are going to be unforeseen things that just come up and there is nothing we can do about them. This is life and we are in it.
5. Laugh when you want to cry. On your darkest days, you are going to want to sit in the corner, pour yourself a glass of wine, and weep. Let the mascara run and your cares slip away for the moment. You may have lost the battle, you didn’t lose the war.
6. Believe in your goal. This is the MOST important thing to remember. It doesn’t matter what anyone else believes about your goal….it only matters what you believe. Never lose sight of what your dream looks like. EVER.
And here is a little secret…we all have to wait. We all have to learn to be patient, even when it is something good we are waiting for. But use the above six tips to help you stay on task and to never forget where you need to be. Life is not a direct route — there are lots of twists and turns, delays and bumps, and hills and valleys. But is such a ride. Keep true. Stay focused. Tomorrow will be better. Sometimes, you just gotta get a little “Life on Ya” by Danny Gokey
Michelle A. Homme 2014 ©
