Throughout my high school and college years, and for many years out of college, I got in the habit of waiting. Waiting for my turn. Waiting to be validated by others. Waiting for my coaches to put me in the game. Waiting for people’s permission. Waiting to be happy.
This is not a fulfilling way to live your life. Trust me, I know first-hand. Patience is definitely a valuable trait to have and is often needed in life, so this is not a knock on patience as a useful quality. I’m instead referring here to your mindset, habits, and daily actions.
Instead of waiting for things to happen, make things happen. If you’ve given something your all and it’s still not happening, then yes, you need patience. But you can’t sit around waiting for others to act. If you do that, you’ll be waiting your whole life.
When will it be your turn? When you choose for it to be your turn. No one is going to pick you. No one is going to validate you. No one is going to give you permission. The solution is to choose and validate yourself. Ironically, only then will you be in the best position to live your purpose and serve others.
Jeff Davis is the Amazon bestselling author of The Power of Authentic Leadership.
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