Waiting–it’s part of life. It’s something that we all have to do–reluctantly–at times, but so often, we CHOOSE to wait, or persuade ourselves that we have to wait. We tell ourselves that we can’t take action or move forward for any number of reasons. Let’s talk about why we need to STOP WAITING and start making progress toward the goals that mean the most to us!
Waiting for what?
Our topic of waiting and why we do it was inspired by a quote from author Katie Ganshert on her Facebook page. She calls it the “Once/Then” statement. “Once _______ happens, then I will ________.” Sometimes, we are waiting TO DO something, like starting a project, changing our job, or pursuing a goal. Other times, we are waiting for SOMETHING TO HAPPEN, like the right circumstance, inspiration, to feel more qualified, or for a sign to occur.
In either instance, we are really waiting for just one thing: we are waiting TO FEEL SOMETHING. And usually we’re waiting for something “out there” to make us feel it.
I’ve been there, and I know I’m not alone. A recent example came up in a recent TPW Mastermind meeting. One of the members was thinking she needed to get a college degree for her job (that she’s already doing), so that she would feel more competent and less of an imposter. The truth is, though, a piece of paper won’t change how qualified we feel. Being enough is something that we create and find within ourselves. Each of us has control over what we feel by what we choose to think about ourselves and our situation.
Brooke Castillo of The Life Coach School podcast explains it this way (a rough paraphrase): “The results in our life come from the actions we take; our actions are driven by our feelings, and our emotions are created by our thoughts.” So what does it come down to? FEELING different (qualified, ready, and happy) comes down to THINKING different (thoughts that tend toward feeling qualified, ready, and happy).
It’s not my circumstances that cause problems for me; it’s how I choose to think about my circumstances.
The GOOD NEWS? We don’t have to WAIT! We can choose to think in a way that creates the feelings we need in order to do what we need to do!
There is nothing outside of us that will satisfy us. Find joy within.Click To TweetWhy stop waiting?
When we wait for others to do something, we give them control.
Waiting makes us miss out on JOY and LIFE, while we continue to suffer with unhappiness and regret.
While waiting, we withhold our contribution to the world, and the world desperately needs the contribution that each of us has to give.
We need to realize that time is finite and tomorrow is NOT guaranteed. We can’t afford to WAIT!
Instead of waiting, what should we do?
The first step is the most important: START. Just take one small step toward your future. Check out Episode 74, Just Start, for help.
Choose to manage your thoughts, because thoughts are the key.
Teach yourself to be grateful. You may have heard much lately about the gratefulness practices of others. There is magic in learning to be grateful!
Brooke Castillo outlines an assignment that she uses to help teach the practice of wanting what we already have. The assignment? List 20 things (big or small) you want. The twist? Every other item on the list must be something you already have.
Be grateful for what you have while working toward what you hope for.Click To TweetI have a few more suggestions that come from Episode 68, The Lies We Tell Ourselves:
- Remind yourself that you already have or can get what you need in order to accomplish your goals.
- Surround yourself with supportive people, which may mean distancing yourself from those who aren’t supportive.
- Read encouraging books. A book that has encouraged me recently is Rising Strong by Brene’ Brown.
- Along with reading for encouragement, turn your thoughts in general away from discouragement. Life comes with enough discouragement without us trying to hold on to it. Let it go!
Looking forward to positive things can bring hope. But always looking to the future can make us miss out on being present in life’s HERE and NOW.
Hey—DON’T WAIT any longer! Take the first step, and DO IT TODAY! Time passes quickly, and our lives become a blur of fleeting moments and missed opportunities. Live life to the fullest by taking control!
Tweetables:
We’re as happy now as we’re ever going to be.Click To Tweet Failure isn't fatal. Failure is evidence that I tried.Click To TweetWhat do you think?
Have you been holding back, waiting to take action on something that matters to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Share you comments or questions in the comments section below, on The Productive Woman Facebook page, or by emailing me.
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I don’t know if this qualifies as a “waiting for”, but it’s something that recently happened, so this podcast/post is timely. My wife and I don’t have any children and aren’t planning on having any. We are doing fine financially. We recently paid off her car, making us “debt free except for the house” as Dave Ramsey would say. We are avid fishermen and have talked about getting a boat for several months. We were tired of the mostly disappointing bank fishing we’ve been having to do for the last year and a half. After looking around for several weeks and trying a couple of different ones out, we knew that we would only be happy and feel safe going with a new bass boat, as opposed to a jon boat, kayak, canoe, or used bass boat. I know we could have saved up for one, but that would have put that dream on hold for at least a couple of years. We had a set price limit, and stuck to it. Last week we officially became first-time boat owners. We have gotten one that we absolutely love, but won’t ‘sink’ us (pun intended) financially and will pay off in 6 years (or less). Yes, it bothers me that we now have a loan to pay off. However, I don’t want to be that 90-year-old that goes to his grave regretting not experiencing one when he was physically able to (and having a lot more good fishing trips). We both find peace being in the boat and being on the water. In today’s busy, demanding, stressful and uncertain world, we have done one thing to make our lives happier and more memorable. WE DIDN’T WAIT.
I love it! Thanks for sharing this awesome story.