Volume XXIII, Number 6 (Issue 1115) | February 10, 2025
Waiting May Be Overrated
It is said good things come to those who wait. Patience, therefore, is a virtue, and as such it will be rewarded. We need look no further than the Bible as an authority on the subject. Yet how many times in your career, let alone your life, have great things happened to you when you did nothing? Most can count their serendipitous blessings on both hands, the unlucky among us may only need a single hand. Thus, a better maxim might be “great things come to those who act.” Think “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” and “He who hesitates is lost.” Granted, not every action will result in a fantastic outcome. Some initiatives will end in abject failure while others will see limited success. Other actions may reach a successful conclusion – just not the one you were expecting or hoping for. That latter form of success is usually appreciated best in the rearview mirror. But, if we are paying attention, even the efforts that end in failure can be beneficial when thought of as learning experiences.
All of the maxims I cited are great words to live by. However, one must acknowledge that while they are about outcomes, there is some conflict between them when it comes to action, inaction, and methodology. That being so, which of them, if any, should be your/our mantra?
In the context of last week’s Musing, might the fear of taking the wrong path account for some of our inaction? In this moment I am suddenly reminded of Maslow’s Four Stages of Learning:
1. Unconscious incompetence (you do not know what you do not know).
2. Conscious incompetence (you are aware of what you do not know).
3. Conscious competence (You are intentionally applying what you have learned).
4. Unconscious competence (You own it – it is second nature).
Learning, in all its forms and in every setting and situation, can be of lasting benefit. And, while you and I can learn by observing (i.e., not taking any purpose-filled action), the more impactful lessons are usually those learned by doing. To quote a line from a movie, “The last thing you want is to wake
up and realize you did not do what you were destined to do.” Achieving even a fraction of our destiny can only come from action.
Soli Deo Gloria
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Website: www.jkeithhughey.com
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