The waiting game and how to do it well

“Don’t wait for something big to occur. Start where you are with what you have and that will lead you into something greater”– Mary Manin Morrissey

While there is some baggage associated with the author of today’s quote, there is also some wisdom in it, so that is where we will start.

The quote begins by asking us not to wait. In general, we humans tend to wait far too often and far too long. We wait for the right time, we wait for a sign, we wait to gather our resources or courage. All the while, time is slipping away.

The quote continues by urging us to start where we are, with what we have. It implies that waiting for everything to come together could be a long wait. We are somewhere, even if it’s not exactly where we want to be. We can do something with what we have and what we know.

The quote finishes by stating the larger things will come over time. It implies that if we get started, we will build our skills, our knowledge, and be better positioned to either take advantage of the ‘something big’ we have been waiting for, or to make ‘something big’ happen.

Action is the key to life. Sometimes it’s a reaction to an outside action, but just sitting and waiting is inaction. Inaction doesn’t get you much, except covered in dust. Joking aside, even the act of reading, learning, or practicing is an action.

It’s easy to put things off. It’s easy to wait for something big to happen first. But it is just as simple to take a small step, to take action towards a goal. In fact, that could well be the big thing you are waiting for in the first place, right?