Don’t waste your wait time

Dear Leader,

What’s your relationship to waiting?

Worry?
Excitement?
Anticipation?
A messy mix of it all?

I get it.

Waiting often tests our trust. It’s that test of trust that can cause tension and resistance to arise within us.

I don’t consider myself to be a particularly patient person by nature, but I’ve learned a few things about how to make waiting way more manageable, and dare I say…fun. Here are some options to up your waiting game.

𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭: Get yourself a great song.

Notice all the places where waiting is paired with music. Elevators, lobbies, customer service phone lines. Music shifts our energy, and we can use it intentionally to diffuse the stress in our wait time.

Need a song? I’ll link below for you the one I’m listening to on repeat today–Billy Joel’s 1986 classic “Matter of Trust.”

I grew up listening to my dad blast this song on the radio. If you’ve never heard it, I invite you to pull up the lyrics and listen to it 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝙁𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘵𝘰 𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙪.

🎵 🎸 🥁 https://youtu.be/6yYchgX1fMw?feature=shared ?? 🎸 🥁

𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮: Define your current wait time.

Resistance can set in when we are waiting without a clear end in sight. This is why we like to know our number in line or why people are okay with queuing up hours before a show begins. Knowing the start time (or the end time) helps ease the wait time.

While we cannot always know with certainty when a given waiting period will conclude, we can reassure our brains and bodies that the end time is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸. This reality check opens the door in the current moment to a bit more acceptance and peace.

𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟯: Give your wait time an assignment. Wait time = preparation time.

Waiting can be especially aggravating if we feel we are passive participants; passivity can make us feel like we don’t have choice or agency.

While we may not be able to control the fact that we have to wait, we can actively direct our attention to something that feels supportive 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 we wait. Wait time is self-preparation time.

We can use our wait time to:
⭐ Enhance our skill and mastery by learning something new;
⭐ Replenish our energy by taking rest;
⭐ Restore our hope by practicing gratitude;
⭐ Reconnecting with someone or something that reminds us of who we are.

As Billy Joel told us, “you can’t go the distance with too much resistance.”

Fear not, dear leader. Waiting doesn’t need to get in the way of what you really, really want. Waiting serves as a powerful reminder that we are in the process of finding our way forward.

In sum…when you’re tested, dear leader, remember it’s always just a matter of trust.