Soulful Sundays: Waiting

“Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.” —Lao Tzu

So much of life is spent waiting. There is the perfunctory type of waiting—queues, traffic, food preparation, etc.—the unavoidable stoppages of time. And there is the existential type—anticipation of the future, living in uncertainty, time spent in expectation—the kind of waiting that takes us out of the present. When we become absorbed in the preoccupation with future outcomes, we lose the power of the creative energy. Our ego sees things only as it wants them to be, and not as they are. We deprive ourselves of true nourishment.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., one of the most accomplished boxers of all time, was known for his calmness before fights. He would say, “What good is being nervous going to do me? If I’m not ready now, I’m not ready.” Mayweather trusted so fully in his preparation that all he had to do was relax and let his training take over. Entering the coveted flow state is akin to this feeling. Flow does not lack effort; it lacks the friction we create when we try to control outcomes, thus giving it an effortless quality.

We must ask ourselves: How often are we the ones responsible for getting in our own way? What would life look like if we could be guided by our superior self instead of the small, fragile voices of the ego? What if waiting brought patient reverence instead of the anxious and obsessive need to fill the void? There are few things that nourish the soul in the same way as patience, sacrifice, and humility. The seeds of wisdom need time to flourish, but waiting for the right moment to harvest does not mean we neglect to diligently water the sprouts. All is coming to those who practice and wait.