I need to stop waiting for a magic wand to make the covid years disappear.
We stood six feet apart while scavenging for toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
We put our lives on hold, longing for a cure to Covid19, an economic recovery, and a return to worry-free public gatherings.
We expected civility, hospitality, and kindness to break free from our fear-induced restraints but were gravely disappointed.
Some of us lovingly looked forward to the New Year with hope. A chance to put the past in the rearview mirror and make a new resolution for this year.
But January 1st has come and gone, and some of the aftereffects of Covid19 are still with us.
I am tired of waiting. You probably are as well. We need to stop waiting for life to happen and live it now.
I have to approach this year differently; waiting is no longer an effective strategy.
Here are five things I need to stop waiting for in 2023: the status quo to return, a perfection that does not exist, permission to use God-given talents, inspiration to strike, or an invitation to take action.
I will stop waiting for the status quo to return.
The status quo of life as we knew it before Covid19 has left the building and will not return.
Before 2021, I had a solid business plan with a workable strategy. Maybe you did too.
I waited for things to return to normal to implement my plan. Like many others, I thought this would last a few weeks. But then it turned to months, and the ending was still not in sight.
I wasted much of 2021 and 2022 waiting for things to return to normal.
Recently, I wrote a new business plan that is not as dependent on in-person contact. But I will remain flexible. 2022 has taught me to be prepared for the constant state of change.
I will no longer wait for perfection that does not exist.
I am a perfectionist. I could blame this tendency on my parents or some genetic flaw.
My parents praised me when I met high standards, and I liked it. I pushed myself to even higher standards because I wanted their attention.
Over the years, I developed an inner critic who demanded perfection in everything I did. I thought that the inner critic was my parents’ voice, but t found that the critic’s voice was my own. to my horror
This pursuit of perfection has bled into my work and social relationships.
I know that I could tweak this post endlessly and never ship a finished product into the world. But as Seth Godin says, “Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.”
So I hit publish, ship the work, and celebrate the gifts of imperfection.
I will stop waiting for permission to use God-given talents.
Too often, I have waited for permission from others to use my God-given talents and abilities.
Why did I wait? Was I afraid of criticism, failure, or the raised expectations that success might bring? Was it a false sense of humility or shame over past behavior?
The reality is that some tasks are beyond me, and I need assistance from others.
But sometimes, I see the need others missed, and I have the skillset to make a difference.
I will not stand by waiting for inspiration to strike.
We all love that moment of inspiration that hits us. We jump out of bed or the shower and try to grab something to record our thoughts before they disappear into the ether.
We think that prolific authors, songwriters, and inventors have a greater capacity for inspiration.
We believe that creativity is limited to children and those in the entertainment field.
But those who we label creators indicate that this is not always correct. An author who continually produces work is intimately aware of the butt-in-chair method. Actors rehearse. Economists create and manage budgets.
Hard work and repetition find their most fertile soil in solving real-world problems, even when inspiration doesn’t strike first.
I choose to show up and hope that inspiration will join me.
I am not waiting for an invitation to take action.
Waiting around for someone to ask us to participate is painful. Sometimes we need to invite ourselves to a party. If we are genuinely unwanted, they will ignore us and move on.
Sometimes I sense an invitation to act, and no one else seems to notice.
I see someone in need and assume everyone else also sees them. I think that someone else will step up and take action. But no one does.
Too often, I wait for an engraved invitation from others before I act or respond. Then, when I see a need I can meet, I need to respond. Others may or may not join me.
This year I choose to know and be known by others who want to make a difference.
Conclusion.
This year I am resolved to stop waiting for the status quo to return, a perfection that does not exist, the permission to use my God-given talents, inspiration to strike, or an invitation to take action on behalf of others.
What things do you need to stop waiting for in 2023?
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