Good things comes to those who wait. But when you’ve set your mind on reaching a goal, it can be hard to accept the time it takes to reach it. Here’s how you make it easier.

The other day I received a text from my van guy (yes, I have a van guy). It was a picture of the tiles I ordered for the kitchen section of my van.

And although the tiles looked nice, the only problem was – it didn’t look anything like the ones I ordered. The ones in the picture were a stony brown. And the ones I ordered a greyish white. So far, not so good.

After going back and forth in the discussions of what to do (with my van guy), we decided that it was best to return the delivered tiles and order new ones. This would probably delay the build with another three-four weeks and leave me waiting at least another month before starting my next trip.

At that moment, it felt as though all I ever do is wait.

I’m not talking about the kind of waiting you do when you’re standing in line at the grocery store, or when you’re waiting to be called into the dentist’s office. And I’m not talking about waiting to take action towards your next goal or any kind of wait that involves procrastination.

I’m talking about waiting for the light to turn green so that you can move on to the next chapter in your life.

For me, that’s waiting for the departure date of my next trip. Or for one of my articles be published. For the build of my van to be finished. It’s waiting for an email to hear back from a job or a potential client.

And I often think of waiting as something negative and passive. But really, it’s neither.

Make waiting part of the process

I’ve always remembered what adventurer and climber Renata Chlumska said when I asked her what someone should expect if that someone (aka me) wanted to do what she was doing:

“Prepare yourself for the fact that it will take time.”

At the time, I didn’t fully understand the meaning behind it, but I’ve since encountered it over and over.

You need to prepare yourself for the time and wait in between the moment when you made the decision to go for that goal and the moment when you finally reach it. You need to prepare for the wait in between milestones. And make it a part of the whole process.

And you make it a part of the process by waiting in an active way.

The departure date for your next adventure might still be months ahead, but you can still do plenty of research to make sure you don’t miss out on anything when you’re away. You can reach out to people who’ve already been where you’re going to get some useful insights. Or you can work out while you wait so that you can spend more time on your feet when you travel than in a rental car.

If you’re waiting for your freelance business to kick off or to make your first six-figure paycheck, you can make sure to develop your competence even further during that time. Practice your craft by inventing small projects for yourself, take an online course or read up on articles that covers your area of expertise.

If you’re waiting on the build of your house to be done, you can watch Youtube videos on home improvement projects, so that you’re ready to tackle any mishaps you might encounter after moving in.   

No matter what your goal is, make waiting an active part of the process.

Eyes on your own paper

Meanwhile, while you’re busy waiting, everyone else seems to be busy doing. They’re traveling, they’re creating and they’re moving.

And you feel like the bystander.

Like a kid watching everyone else play outside in the yard, while all you do is look at them from inside your window.

I recently read an article by James Clear about the danger of comparing yourself to others, where I came across the quote:

“Keep your eyes on your own paper.”

Although watching others – what they do and how they do things – is important for inspiration and knowledge, during the waiting part of the process you need to step away from the window.

When you wait, you need to keep your eyes on your own paper.

Focus on your own goal and your next steps, no matter how small they might be. Other people might already be where you wish to be at, but rest assured that you will get there.

And by keeping your eyes on your own paper, you will get there faster.

Patience is a virtue when you wait

Ever heard the phrase patience is a virtue? It basically means the ability to wait without frustration or agitation.

This is something you’d be wise to remind yourself of and to adopt while waiting. Getting frustrated or agitated because things aren’t going fast enough will only waste precious energy.

If it’s a goal worth pursuing, there’s no escaping the wait.

Instead, choose the power of patience. Accept the fact that waiting is part of the process of reaching your goal.

Embrace a willingness to wait.

But when you have a deadline for an article, you simply can’t wait. If that’s the case: