WAITING IN LINE

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Dr Zannah Hackett, One of Thousands of Relationship Coaches on Noomii.

“Patience is a virtue, and perhaps one of life’s greatest forms of self-mastery.”

Whether we are leading, following, teaching, parenting, working, or simply trying to get through the day, there are moments when our environment challenges our ability to remain clear, centered, and gracious.

And toxicity certainly comes in many forms.

Sometimes it arrives as the seasonal bug that seems determined to visit the entire family, again and again. Other times, it is the disgruntled person at the dry cleaners, the bank, the airport, or the wireless store who appears personally offended by the fact that there are three people ahead of them.

Few things seem to test the human spirit quite like “WAITING.”

Waiting in line. Waiting on hold. Waiting for someone to call back. Waiting for the person in front of us to find their credit card. Waiting for the computer to load. Waiting for life to move at the speed we believe it should.

And then something interesting happens.

Our impatience begins affecting everyone around us. A sigh becomes an eye roll. An eye roll becomes a complaint. The complaint finds an audience, and before long, one person’s frustration has become everyone’s experience.

But what if waiting isn’t the problem?

What if our “perception of waiting” is?

Imagine viewing those unexpected pauses not as inconveniences, but as opportunities, a few unplanned minutes in which life has given us permission to stop.

Instead of fighting the wait, use it.

Think. Observe. Breathe. Organize the day in your mind. Notice the people around you. Offer someone a smile. Or simply enjoy a rare moment when there is absolutely nothing you are required to accomplish.

The circumstances haven’t changed. “You have.”

And that is where self-mastery begins.

Patience is something we can practice. Every time we wait without allowing frustration to take control, we strengthen our ability to remain clear when life doesn’t cooperate with our expectations.

Master the small waits, and you may discover greater patience appearing in the places that really matter. Like with your spouse, your children, your friends, your employees, your colleagues, and perhaps most importantly, with yourself.

Life is filled with waiting. We wait for opportunities, answers, relationships, healing, success, understanding, and change.

We cannot always control how long the line will be.

But we can decide who we become while standing in it.

The message?

“Spend your time WISELY. Even the time you didn’t choose to spend waiting.”