Hey there . So I've got something for you to consider today . It's really just one question . I have just one question for you what are you waiting for ? I'm going to ask again what are you waiting for ? This isn't really meant as a challenge , but rather a check-in to see how much energy you are expending , waiting for things you can't control , or waiting for things that you are withholding . As you consider this question , I want you to check in with the different ways that waiting shows up for you .
Speaker 1There's a daily waiting process that perhaps you're unaware of . For instance , how many times have you found yourself waiting so far today ? Waiting for the kettle to boil , waiting for your energy to kick in , waiting for inspiration to strike , waiting for the weather to improve . This daily waiting has the potential to influence our moods and wastes more of our current energy than you can imagine , by dismissing what is and staying in limbo until what might be . This inability to see and to experience what is in front of us right now , in the present moment , is the exact opposite of what mindfulness is . Waiting is wrapped up in expectations and holds us hostage of our own lives . It quite literally means stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens . It's dependent . It's dependent .
Speaker 1I think it'd be pretty fair to say that we all experience frustration when we are being asked or , worse yet , told to wait , whether it's standing in a line or waiting for the traffic light to change . Waiting stands between us and what we're trying to do . I get it , but here's the thing . There are so many opportunities to look at these instances beyond feeling angry or resentful or helpless . We can convert them . It's created space . These are moments that have been carved out for us , that we hadn't planned on . If we give in to filling those with frustration and negative energy , then what of the possibility we're letting go of ? I read a statistic today that the average person , throughout their lifetime , spends five years waiting in lines and queues . When we spend time reacting to things that are out of our control , like lines and queues , we are sabotaging our own potential to thrive and , quite frankly , simply wasting valuable time .
Speaker 1So when you're faced with a situation where you are required to wait , why not have a list of things that you get to do when the inevitable waiting game begins , when your train is delayed or you're in a traffic jam , why not use that as a cue to choose something from that list and enjoy the created space . It might be listening to a favorite podcast or reading a chapter of that new book . Maybe it's taking time to reach out to a friend or a family member , or maybe you can simply take a deep breath and open your eyes and look for something new that you've never noticed before in your surroundings . Invest in what you can control . Don't spend valuable energy worrying about the things that you can't .
Speaker 1And then there's the waiting that we do that is tied up in hope . Maybe it's waiting for an answer or a phone call or a return email or a call back , a test result . There's no point in waiting around hoping someone will call you or hoping that someone will like you or approve of you or hire you . What you can do is you can trust that you have done your best , because only you can control that . My friends , we give our power over to others when we invest so much in the hope . That is dependent on what others think or say or do . And that time that we spend waiting , man , think of all the energy that we've spent there .
Speaker 1Okay , so now we're going to talk about the waiting that we impose on ourselves , the waiting that gets between us and who we want to be , the self-imposed waiting . Ironically , this is the waiting that is in our control , and it is so insidious . This kind of thinking is so dangerous . Waiting for the other shoe to drop , waiting until the time is right , waiting until things change , waiting until you're ready how many of us have felt this way ? Where in your life are you waiting ? What are you waiting for ? Why are you withholding ? How will you know ? There's no time like the present , my friends . So advance , go , carry on move .
Speaker 1There's a distinction that is worth considering between waiting , which is stagnant and tethered to the expectations of what might be , and patience , which is about faith , faith in ourselves , faith in moving forward imperfectly , by doing the very best we can in each moment . Life is for the living . I can't wait to see what you'll do next . In the words of Barack Obama , change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time . We are the ones we've been waiting for . We are the change that we seek . I'm Lisa Hopkins . Stay safe and healthy , everyone , and remember to live in the moment .