Good Things Come to Those Who Wait?
May 6th, 2008 Posted in Curt's ArticlesGood things come to those who wait? I don’t think so. Good things come to those that go and get it. That is a saying that has never made any sense to me, yet you hear it all the time.
What is the rationale behind this saying? Perhaps it is that patience is a virtue? Hmmm… This may be another slogan that needs some work.
“Good things come to those who wait” implies that you can do very little work and make a small effort, but your destiny is for some form of greatness. Hogwash! I do believe that each of us has the ability of greatness in us, but you have to work your tail off to get there. Waiting around is not in the equation.
I can’t think of any great leader, athlete, or any position of greatness where that person arrived at that point because they waited. In sports, there are times that another player ranks higher than another on a depth chart. Often times the higher ranked player is there because of having greater experience or know-how, so you often will hear talk of the younger player needing to be patient and wait their turn.
At that point, a decision is made by the younger player to wait and be patient or to be hungry and go and get more playing time by proving they can handle the pressure. I don’t believe you will find a coach that wants the player that waits on their team.
Most careers in corporate America are similar to this. The person with seniority (more experience) often earns more money and in theory has more responsibility. A good manager or corporate structure within that company recognizes the smart worker and hungry employee and rewards them with increased pay and recognition. The poor manager simply wants to maintain the status quo and follow the chain of seniority for job promotion and pay rewards, thus discouraging the hungry worker into either quitting to work somewhere else or de-motivating them into doing less work while they wait their turn.
My slogan is, “If you want it, go get it!” Leave the waiting around to someone else. I could be wrong, but the last time I checked, I wasn’t given a blueprint for how my life was going to play out. I bet you weren’t either. Who is to say that you are going to live long enough to wait for something to happen for you? Go make it happen.
Think of when you were in high school and had a crush on a girl or boy. Did you have the confidence to ask them out on a date or did you figure you would wait for them to ask you? How did that work out for you? If you’re like most people…it didn’t. I believe it is in our formative years that we are suppose to learn that waiting for good things to happen to us is NOT a good strategy. By taking this approach, as we get older and (hopefully) wiser, we become more assertive and direct in our goals and ambitions.
Should life be just one big long line where your future is not in your hands but rather that of the person standing in your way? What if they want to stand there longer than the time you are given to wait? What if your time never comes? At what point do people take responsibility for their own lives and actions if waiting for success to just happen is the route most chosen?
Leaders pave their own road where there is not one visible. Leaders have a clear vision of what they want to be and what they want to do. Leaders don’t have time to wait when people decide to stand in their path.
Winners carve out a nitch for themselves where there otherwise would not be a place for them. Winners know their value and stop at nothing to provide it.
Success is not a waiting game or a birth right, but rather a conscience choice made by those individuals that understand their own personal value and what they can provide to others. Success is not a “buzz” word that derives from a singular moment of triumph. Success is a mindset that controls each action taken in every endeavor which leads to a life of small victories that culminate in the conclusion of a Gigantic Triumphant life of happiness.
So do you wait for good things to come to you, or do you go out and get it?
