My sister (Oshioze’s Blog) picked this topic for our family series, as we reach our third of five episodes in the series, and I feel like this topic fits perfectly into the purpose for which this blog, For Times When You’re Unsure, started in the first place. (fun fact: this blog piece was supposed to be published a while ago, but I delayed the post just because the title said so 😉😉.)
Waiting often connotes a period of uncertainty, and a state when one is not sure of the next step to take – a time when one tries to re-strategize or recalibrate. The problem with recalibrating is that time does not pause when your life seems to be at a halt (time keeps ticking away and you almost start feeling like stagnant pond water beside a river.)
People say “good things come to those who wait” and that the patient dogs eat the fattest bones, but in the same breath, tell us that the early birds get the worms – and so, the internal struggle begins when you are in the position of the patient dog, waiting for good things, but feeling like all the worms have been taken by the “early birds” (and now you look like the angry one 😂😂.)
It is frustrating when you begin to feel like maybe you have not done your best or you have not done enough to get the thing that you are expecting (and of course, this might be the case sometimes), but it is even more frustrating when you are sure that you have put in the work required of you, and yet, you are put on the waiting list and have to deal with a bunch of rejections.
(I think that the most painful part of the waiting period is when one starts comparing oneself with one’s peers, and everything seems to be working for even the people one feels one has put in more work than.)
For times when you are unsure, and while you wait, in my opinion, I believe it is best to change the mindset that your mates are doing better than you (no matter how true that looks) – focus on yourself and try to block out the comparison noise. The more you focus on yourself, the more you see the things that you have as strengths that can work in your favour; you see the things that interest you, that you can develop skill and know-how in; and address the weaknesses in you – refining yourself into a better version of you.
(I believe everyone moves at their own pace and as long as you stay prepared, it is only a matter of time before your hook catches your desired fish, so wait!)
When I got this topic, first thing that came to my mind was to use fishermen as my case study, because I thought, fishermen do not go to the bank of the river and expect to make a catch immediately their hook and bait hit the water. They learn to wait for their lines to feel the tug, and some times, even after the tug, might find out they might have caught a baby fish. Would you roll up your reels and head back home, lamenting how the baby fish ate your bait in vain? No, you’d, as the fisherman, re-worm your hooks and start the process again until you make a befitting catch (and this reminds me of one of the most distressful novels I read as a teenager: The Old Man and the Sea.)
Hi, I’m Chuks and I started this blog while I was just entering a waiting phase in my life. Thankfully, through perseverance and good networking, I feel like I came out on the other side, quite satisfied with the bone I have been fed and the worms that I could beak.
What is your waiting story: are you still there now, how did you survive the wait – for those on the other side? Let us hear all about it in the comment section. Also check out Oshioze’s POV on this topic when you click here.
For Times When You're Unsure 