Frankly Put: Stop Waiting And Be Ready
Overnight success is a hoax only to those who don’t understand that it is simply a marketing phrase. The work behind the brand is what you are denied when you are rendered nothing but that brand.
As a firm believer in “clap until it is your turn" I have, on one or two occasions slipped into asking when I would be next. Of course, in some ways, it’s tough to stay in your lane when you can look over to the one just beside you and see someone, driving the same machine as you, getting all their flowers yet you have nothing to show for it. At times, the hands get tired of only clapping as if there is no validation for the work they have done.
It’s very easy to begin hating the process at that point because it feels like it is all for nought. I think it is only human to have those thoughts. I think it is only natural to compare what one would think is “like-for-like” when the truth is it is not in fact like-for-like. We are often only flaunting our highlight reels and through no fault of our own, we influence perspectives. Perspectives of those around us and consequently our own expectations.
Hardly is it ever the case that one wants to see the ugly. It is natural, at least in this generation of instant gratification that we crave the sight of the result before the dirtying of the hands. Who can blame us? Someone went ahead of us with the mentality of making life easier for the generations to come and here we are, enjoying that very life. That’s not really the point I am trying to make here though.
There is something to the waiting. The little grey moments in between the actions and the result that I think about a lot. It’s an uncomfortable space, that one. You can see the goal right in front of you and the work you put in behind you and you are in limbo, waiting for the two to come together and give this sense of satisfaction that true to the fact, two plus two does equal four.
What do we do in those moments of waiting though? I have found myself questioning as on one hand, we say rest and let nature take its course. In some cases, that can feel a little off because we are so used to being in a state of action that to shift into inaction robs us of the inertia generated. On the other hand, we can move into the next action demanded but that is just robbing us of the joys of appreciating the process of connection between the action and the result.
Burnout would say pick option one… Or else. Anxiety would threaten you otherwise. I think that is what many older people paint their 20s as. Which if we are being honest is not restricted to that time simply because it is that decade. I think many people get it wrong a lot of the time because it is not the decade but the situations within the decade. It just so happens that in that decade your career is supposed to start, your freedom is handed to you, your relationships become more grounded in personality than circumstance and among many other things, you mature psychologically.
Truth is, your life can begin at any time, for so long as you are found at the junction where it begins. So many of us are here, waiting for life to begin, believing we are in fact at that junction. Ah, back again… Full circle. The advice they would give is to try everything and you will find what best suits you. At the same time, they will tell you that whatever is yours will find you in due time. Manifest it. The problem with option one is maybe you have the capacity to be skilled at anything and now you suffer from choice paralysis.
The problem with manifesting is that people only do it halfway and forget that there is the other half of actually doing the work. I don’t think the universe is that graceful or generous to hand people things on a silver platter. Yet, that is what many of us see this life thing as. I am personally in favour of doing the work. Not because it is the society-driven mentality but because I kind of also just want to own my graces. I’d like to trace the benefits I have in life to something deeper than just divine intervention. In other words, I would like to feel worth the good that I am receiving.
However, therein lies another layer to the thought. What of the times you are doing the work and you feel like any day now, that work will pay off but you know not how or when? I guess, in such cases, I say that being ready is two-fold in that you should be ready for success and failure in equal measure. Life has this sadistic enjoyment of humbling people who try to be too confident and host this entitlement that since the work has been done, the prize must be won.
The bottom line is, do not just wait. Put in that work and ensure that you are not caught unawares because there are times when what we are seeking finds us but in a state of under-preparedness and we miss it like that. It is heartbreaking. Sometimes, we think we are ready but we really aren’t. At least not for what we are working towards. That job opportunity, that one goal, that one relationship, that one event or whatever it may be.
I think it is a call to allow yourself gratitude for where you are, whether you are deep in the work, enjoying the results or in that waiting room. A time will come when you will not be in the same place and you will look back, don’t let it be in regret.
Stop passively waiting for what you really want in life, be actively ready for the hills and valleys you will journey to get there… to put it Frankly.
