We Need to Relearn How to Wait
All this distraction is keeping us from the pain of waiting, which is necessary
Movies? Netflix.
Food? Uber eats.
Meetups? Video calls.
Hookups? Tinder.
I still remember that I needed to wake up on Sunday at 8 to watch my favorite cartoon. The on-demand service totally eradicated the problem of waiting.
The instant solutions to our mundane problems are hurting us in another area of our life. Everything is so attainable that we forget the pain of waiting. We forget things take time.
We feel we waste too much time waiting
I always feel the need to hurry up.
I am so accustomed to fast solutions that when I have to wait, I feel like I am wasting time. I feel like my time is always running out.
This is called Time Anxiety. This is unhealthy.
I even see people pressing the elevator button continuously just to close the door faster. It doesn’t work, but at least they can vent.
We get frustrated faster
When something does not go our way or takes longer than expected, we quickly get mad. This is unhealthy.
When we are stuck on a problem, we distract ourselves with social media. The truth is, it takes time to get into the flow. With everything within our reach, it is harder for us now than ever to get into the flow simply because we can't wait for the flow to come.
When we can't wait any longer, we give up. You see the drawback of on-demand service now?
We settle for easier, quicker goals
Waiting is painful, and if there is a shortcut, we will take it. Unfortunately, good things have no shortcut.
People say becoming someone prominent in a field takes 5 years, but who can wait for 5 years to be prominent? That’s why most people fail — to wait.
We don’t put much effort anymore
When we settle for less, we don’t put much effort into it anymore. This spirals into less and less.
We need to relearn how to wait
Let’s take some time away from our on-demand services, instant gateways, and delivery services.
Let’s relearn that good things take time.
Let’s relearn how to wait for little things so that we can wait for greater things.
When you feel like you are running out of time, take a deep breath and say, “I have enough time.”
