Being Patient SUCKS!

A few years ago I wrote a post about this same exact topic. I reread it today and realized, I am still in a waiting period--the time now is definitely different than 2 years ago, but it still sucks! HOWEVER, I am learning to enjoy the time more and realizing that during those moments when we have to wait we can choose to endure the waiting with endurance, or we can have a pity party and whine about the wait.

I don't know about you, but I know that when I'm standing in a queue at Disney, or any other theme park, I used to find myself being annoyed by so many different things: people jumping in front of me, the Florida weather, people being too loud, or maybe I wish I would have gotten a snack because now I'm starving and the line is taking forever! Sound familiar? Well, that used to be me... and honestly, even when I had people with me in the queue, I would still be annoyed by various things. Do I ever struggle with those times of waiting? Oh yes, I still struggle, but I have learned to be patient and the wait doesn't seem as bad.

One of my favorite ways to pass time in the queue is by listening to audiobooks. There have even been times over the past two years that I would listen to books for grad school while I was in the queue at Disney, yes, I would listen to school books. You see, I wanted to be able to enjoy the day and not worry about losing time to study for school. So I started utilizing those wait times for something to make me feel like I had accomplished something. However, there have also been times when I would be listening to a fiction book to just have a fun day.

I have started thinking about the way I have changed from being annoyed in the queues, to being okay with the wait and I have learned to do something during the waiting period. This has been something that I have started encorporating into my every day life, as much as possible. There are so many things that I feel like I am waiting for--and honestly, I am getting tired of being patient--but I know that the wait will be worth it. Maybe I need to learn something during this time that I wouldn't be able to learn if whatever it is has already taken place. For instance, I couldn't go from wanting to be a licensed mental health counselor one day, to being fully licensed the next day. Instead, I had to apply for grad school and go through the two year program, and now I have to become a registered intern and take the licensure exam over the next two years so that I can become a fully licensed mental health counselor.

Let me tell you, I still do not know as much as I wish I did, but I know that it takes time to learn. Will I ever know everything there is to know about mental health? Nope! Because it is ever evolving. That just means that I will be learning more and more. Now, during the past two years I had to work during the wait time--and over the next two years I will do the same thing, I will work and continue to learn so that I can become the best I can be.

So you see, while being patient may suck... it does not mean that you should just sit and wait, do something in the meantime. Travel, read, research, learn, study, bake a cake, watch a movie, go to Disney, purge old things, write a letter and send it (yes, a snail mail letter), write a thank you note, call your grandparents, call your parents, call your siblings, call your best friend, call anyone, clear out your notifications, clean, take a bath, get a massage, go for a swim, exercise, journal, take a nap, and... this list could go on for days. The important thing is that you learn to be patient while you are waiting because once you get whatever it is, you will realize how much you were able to do while you waited.

So, are you going to wait patiently or are you going to have your pity party and whine about it?!