How Waiting Can Lead to Your Greatest Victories
June 1, 2022
Over the weekend, I watched the series finale of This is Us, a show I’ve loved and appreciated for many years.
To no surprise, I laughed and cried the whole way through. It was a magnificent episode on so many levels.
But there was one part that really got me (besides Deja sharing about “William,” of course)…
Rebecca was sitting down with little Kevin, who was struggling with a situation at school surrounding his physical strength and self worth.
After talking things through, she said the following:
“Not everything is going to come easy to you. I think you’re going to have to work pretty hard to become the person I know you can become. And it will make the big victories in life that much more special.”
This moment rendered me speechless. Not just because it was such a relevant and powerful foreshadowing of Kevin’s journey through adulthood, but because it hit home for me big time.
There have been many chapters of my life where the path that unfolded was not what I wanted, or under my desired timeline. Where I had to work way harder than anticipated. Or when I had to learn from the same mistake over and over again before doing things differently.
To be clear - waiting for what you want in life is REALLY hard. Whether it be a dream job, a happy relationship, conceiving a child, retiring, or making new friends, the path isn’t always easy.
Sometimes waiting is absolutely painful - even infuriating, especially when you’ve put so much work in and have tested your patience for a long time. Then the comparison trap arrives, and you tell yourself the story that you’re alone in your suffering, or everyone else has it all figured out.
But in order to get what you want, you must first embrace the present. It’s okay to name your disappointment. Get real. Work through the tough emotions, and grieve what you need to.
Next - you can practice the art of surrender. For the record, this is not always an enjoyable process. As humans, or brains love certainty and control. So letting go and embracing the unknown is the opposite of what we’re hardwired to do.
However, at the end of the day, we have to work through the yuck to get the yay (for a great book on this topic, I highly recommend The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein). The results are that much better when we go through this process, because we come out stronger and wiser on the other end. We become more aligned with our truth, and live the life we want to lead.
Today you’re invited to identify one area of your life where you might need to work on waiting to become the person you’re meant to be. Then carve out about 10 minutes to work through the following journal prompts:
5 Questions for Becoming
Why is this topic or area in my life important to me?
Why does this feel so hard for me today?
Where might I have room for healing and growth?
What might the benefits be to me in the end, through my process of waiting?
What commitment can I make today that will point me in the direction I want to go?
. . .
I’m grateful for a show that brought so much joy to viewers, and waited to share this important lesson in its final episode.
When I used to hear the phase “good things come to those who wait,” I would roll my eyes and think to myself: “What a convenient theory. Pass.”
But now I know that quote is one of the most authentic ones around. Because through learning, healing, perseverance, vulnerability, and courage, the victories unfold. They create the stories that we proudly share with others.
Remember: you deserve a life of greatness, and true greatness takes time to emerge.
