Coaching Corner: 'Waiting is never easy'
By "Coach" Marilou Butcher Roth
A couple of weeks ago, I was the mystery reader at my granddaughter, Sophia's (Fi) second grade class. The book I chose, "Waiting Is Never Easy," was chosen by me primarily for Fi, as she has often had a hard time waiting for things -- events, identification of surprises, etc. After reading the book, we all had a discussion on patience, and I encountered wisdom that was spoken authentically by these 8 year olds!
One of the questions I asked them was if they ever felt it hard to wait for something. I received a resounding "YES" from everyone there! The next thing I asked them was how they handled the waiting. Here is where it get's interesting...
Responses varied in terms of specifics, ranging from "I go play my video games" to "I just take a nap" to "I go ride my bike" and many more. The common thread, however, was the concept of distraction. Each one of the actions that these tuned in kids took, clearly brought their attention away from what they were waiting for to something more enjoyable. This could not have been more delightful for me!
So now all of you grown ups reading this -- I pose the same questions to you. Do you ever have a hard time waiting for something to happen? Sure, the scenarios will show up different and of course, much more important (or so it seems). You may find that waiting to hear how an iffy inspection went is making you crazy or perhaps you were told by an agent that an offer was coming -- and it isn't showing up. You get the picture -- and, waiting is something that occurs in all areas of our lives.
The second question to you is to ask how you handle the wait time? Do you get yourself in a tizzy over it? Maybe you do -- but I would venture to say that does not help anyone! Can you find easier, more productive ways to move gently through waiting periods? Perhaps you can create a list of ways that might work for you. Or, maybe you follow the advice of some very smart second graders and find ways to distract yourself -- take your mind away from situations that you cannot control!!!
The next time you find yourself in the waiting game, find your best way through it by asking yourself what might allow you to take your ultra-focused attention off of the wait. Enjoy!!
Marilou Butcher Roth
Marilou Butcher Roth is the owner of The MBR Group, a coaching and training company working primarily with REALTORS who have a desire to work and live from a more inspired place. She is also the Broker/Owner of Group REALTORS in Cincinnati.
Marilou is a member of the Ohio REALTORS Board of Directors and past chairman of the organization’s Communications Committee.
