Episode 7 – Don’t wait

Janine – with QFY

And my hope is that this podcast reaches you – wherever in this world you are, and no matter how old you are.

Even if you are still in school – the things we talk about can be useful for anyone

I find it amazing that this world is so connected – our voice can reach out to anyone and anywhere.

If my voices reaches you in a place far away from the United States, I would love to share your name, maybe your age, and your city and country on the next podcast. Let your voice reach me!

If you look back at your life lived so far – whether its 40 years, or only 15, – how often did you wait?

• Wait for someone to have time for you, to pick you up, to finish something
• Wait for something to happen

I have waited a lot in my life.

Especially when growing up, I felt that so much of what filled my life depended on other people and circumstances

• As a kid, I waited for birthdays and holidays.
• I waited for my favorite TV show to start
• I waited for Saturdays and
• I waited for summer to arrive
• When I started going out, my friends who had cars would pick me up. I waited on them. Sitting by the window.
• I waited on letters to arrive – in former East Germany the mail took weeks, sometimes months especially when it came from another country
• And my entire youth – I waited anxiously to be a grown up so I could finally do what I want
• When I became a grown up, waiting changed
• I now waited on official documents, on offices to call me back, on certifications to be issued
• I waited for paychecks, for holidays to arrive when I would get cash
• And I waited for the weekend to arrive. Every week.

As I became older, my waiting is less focused on the short term, and more on the long term

As my goals are less immediate, my urgency has decreased

I think the older we get the less there is to wait for because we have less time ahead of us

And lets be honest – there is less excitement ahead in those later years

I think hope takes the place of waiting

I am sure some of my examples resonate with you.

What are you waiting for?

• Are you waiting for some attention from your friends in school?
• Or that your teacher, professor or boss gives you some slack, maybe is a little friendlier to you, acknowledges your work?
• Are you waiting for a better time? When you can get away from your current situation, whatever it may be?
• Are you waiting for someone to love you?
• Are you waiting for money, a job, a new opportunity, the house, the next car, the designer purse, the new movie
• Or are you waiting for your health to improve, test results, a surgery to take place,
• Are you waiting for important people in your life to change, to treat you better, to behave differently

So many things to wait for.

We all are waiting for something all the time.

What happens to you when you wait for someone or something?

• You are probably in a more alert state of mind, because your energy is focused on the object of your waiting
• You might be distracted because you are almost exclusively focused on only one thing
• You are doing your stuff half-heartedly, or maybe not at all
• Your thoughts are with waiting, your mind, even your body
• Your feelings and your mood are affected.

• We mark important dates on our calendars.
• Sometimes we celebrate the arrival of the event we waited for.
• The graduation, the marriage, the anniversary.
• But more often, we simply replace one waiting with another once its over
• We check it off the list and we move on.
• After all – there is always something to wait for.
• Yes – there might be a momentary feeling of joy when we finally get the good news, or the thing we wanted, but hardly ever does the joy and happiness last as long as the waiting lasted

So what am I saying here?

I am saying that Waiting is a waste of previous time.

The things that you have to wait for – wait for them – but move on with life.

Don’t let your life be taken over by waiting for this one big thing.

Even if your life itself depends on that one major thing.

• You still have your life right now to life.
• You have TODAY.
• We think we mostly forget about today.
• Today is just another day.
• I just need to get Today over with
• I can’t wait for the day to end

I say – stop waiting.

And stop wasting time.

Today is not just any day. It’s ONE day less of your life.

If you are dismissing today, then aren’t you also dismissing tomorrow, and the whole week, month, and years?

If today is not important, then when is?

Do you know for sure you will have tomorrow?

Can you guarantee that you will wake up tomorrow?

Are you certain you will have the opportunity to do everything you really want to do? Or at least some of it?

Start acknowledging Today.

Give importance to THIS day today.

That is why I created QFY.

Every day is crucial. and QFY is there as a reminder to help you see that you can make every day count.

Stop waiting and make things happen today.

How?

By taking small steps into the direction you want to go.

I am here to help you.

Again – that’s my mission with this podcast.

To get you moving forward.

To help you SEE, FEEL, Move

If I knew that today would be the last time I’d see you, I would hug you tight and pray the Lord be the keeper of your soul. If I knew that this would be the last time you pass through this door, I’d embrace you, kiss you, and call you back for one more. If I knew that this would be the last time I would hear your voice, I’d take hold of each word to be able to hear it over and over again. If I knew this is the last time I see you, I’d tell you I love you, and would not just assume foolishly you know it already.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Go get up and do something with today that gives you joy, that brings you closer to your dream, and that makes another person smile.

Live your life today and every single day with all your heart, all your will and all your mental and physical energy.

Remember – tomorrow is not guaranteed.