What are You Waiting For?

Are you waiting for everything to line up perfectly? Has your fear of not getting it right stopped you in your tracks? Are you waiting for the situation to resolve itself? Have you adopted the strategy of wishing and hoping? By the way, I’ve found that strategy doesn’t work.

Think about how much time you spend waiting. There is waiting in line, waiting for your appointment, waiting for a big event, waiting for a phone call, and then there is waiting for things to change.

The tricky part about waiting for things to change is that life continues to live itself around you while you are in a holding pattern. How often do you wait without taking action? Do you wait for someone else to make the move or change? How often do you think that things will change if you wait long enough?

One way to interrupt the pattern of waiting is by starting something. It doesn’t matter what step you take. It’s taking an action that builds momentum. The first step might be to let yourself dream again. What has energized you in the past? Or, think back to a big vision you’ve had. Did your mind stop you in your tracks and then you decided it really wasn’t possible?

Sometimes getting a shift is as simple as taking one small step.

• Research your big idea anew and see if it still interests you.
• Learn a new skill that supports your dream or that sounds like fun.
• Take a brisk walk outside.
• Make that initial call to a potential client.
• Journal and see what words of wisdom flow from you onto your paper. Try writing longhand rather than using your computer and see what changes for you.
• Brainstorm ideas to explore how your company could interact with clients differently.
• Bake a cake from scratch. I know this is random, but it’s about taking action to get yourself moving.

As you can see, the ways to start are vast. The true benefit of taking that first, small step is you have shifted from waiting and into action; becoming an active and awake participant in your life. You are choosing rather than reacting or waiting in a holding pattern.

P.S. I had this post sitting in my draft folder for a week because I couldn’t find the “right” photo to use. It’s that old fear of not getting it right. After I laughed at my self, I went online, found the photo above, and posted the blog. What keeps you in your holding pattern?