R2 Thoughts for You Can It Be Great, If You Have To Wait?
"So what, if I have to wait - it can still be great!"
If you have to wait, can it be great? It depends! It depends upon what you do or can do while you wait. Let’s explore the question and what the answer depends upon.
Is it great to make them wait? :-)
What do you do when you are forced to wait for someone or something? I know when I have been stuck in traffic, I’ve noticed that a lot of people become angry. At least, that is my interpretation based on their body language, horn honking and the driving of their cars in and out of different traffic lanes in a dangerous manner. Also, I have talked to people who have told me stories of their frustration of having to wait in a doctor’s offices, check-out lines, license offices, registration lines, restaurant seating areas, post offices, etc. The number of different places and situations that provide us “opportunities” to wait are almost unlimited.
How can I make this wait, great? :-(
So, if you are like me and encounter many places and situations that cause you to have to wait, then how can this be great? Based on what I noticed while being stuck in traffic or the frustration expressed in the many stories about waiting in lines, I think many who are having to wait are experiencing harmful stress. The stress from waiting can be understood and dealt with. For more on how to find quick stress relief, please click here. Though the stress caused by waiting is real and can be serious, I’m not going to focus on that particular problem.
The main purpose of this post is to respond in a positive manner to my initial question: “Can it be great, if you have to wait?” You see, when you are waiting, you usually have two possible ways of handling your wait. You can either work yourself into a stressed-out mess or you can treat the time you are waiting as a gift or present-of-time. Some say that’s why the we call the “now-time” the present – it is a present or gift! :-)
This present is a gift! :-)
So, it can be great, if you have to wait, provided you are able to use the time you’re waiting as a present of time. (Pun intended with the double meaning of present:-) When you are waiting, consider accepting the situation and use the gift of time to create solutions to problems, commit to memory important information, read, develop goals, and/or do physical/mental exercises. These suggestions aren’t all-inclusive. There are many different ways that a person can make the present of time become a less stressful and positive growth experience.
Is it great that I'm a WAITer? :-)
Perhaps, the most important idea related to dealing with having to wait is to be mentally creative. Use the time to creatively think how you can become a better person. What good will you do to focus your thinking on waiting? How will you be able to live the best life you can by stressing out over having to wait? If you have to wait, don’t hate the time, but instead, use the time to create a better you. When you have to wait, create a positive attitude – something that only you can change.
There is another type of stress caused by waiting. It’s the stress one has when s/he is a procrastinator. Of course, this kind of waiting is more “self-caused” than the waiting one has to do when stuck in traffic, waiting in a check-out line, etc.
I'm not a procrastinator, I'll stop smoking tomorrow!
Procrastination usually implies the act of putting off tasks or actions to a later time or waiting to start a task or action until the last-minute. Is it great, if you wait to start a task or action until the last-minute? I think, for most people, it isn’t. This, of course, assumes you don’t have to wait, but instead, are choosing to do so. The waiting involved in procrastination isn’t great!
Excluding the waiting involved in procrastination, if you have to wait, then it can be great with the proper attitude. Most of the negativity encountered in waiting can be changed into a positive experience, if you choose to do so. It’s another case where, “to change everything, simply change your attitude,” is the best approach for improving your life experience.
Oh great, now I’ll have to wait for comments! :-)
R2 Thoughts for You 