The Delay Creates Your Opportunity

The Delay

Delays. I don’t like them. Nobody does. Who wants to wait in a traffic jam. How about in a line at a store. How about waiting for a check to come in the mail.

Being delayed can be aggravating. Last Saturday my cell phone died. I was going to work. I had to cancel work. Again, I was delayed.

Waiting teaches me patience. It teaches me that everything is not going to go my way. In fact, most things will not go my way. It’s just a fact of life.

The Blessing Creates an Opportunity

Yesterday, I was driving back from Miami. It was Sunday. The day when I have time to catch up on my bills and other emails. Here I was going about 4 mph when I wanted to be going 60. I wanted to pull my hair out. If I had more hair I would have. It was a waste of time in my mind. Nothing good was coming from sitting in Miami traffic.

My next thought was from the Divine.

“John, why don’t you listen to a podcast you have wanted to listen to for a while?”

Don’t know exactly where that thought came from. I just know it had to be divinely inspired.

I tried to locate the podcast with not much luck. But, the effort was enough to make me feel grateful to have this time alone.  I may not have listened to my podcast in that moment, but it really changed my thinking about the traffic delay. I was able to shift into a place of gratitude. This shift altered the emotional landscape for the remainder of the day.

Why Are You Being Delayed?

There is something going on in your life right now that is causing a delay of some kind. It’s just life. It happens.

Maybe you are waiting for the results of a job interview.  Maybe you are waiting for a medical report. Maybe you have a bill to pay, and you need more hours at work.

You are waiting for something. That’s why you are reading this blog. How can you see this as a blessing, rather than a reason to feel like a victim or get angry?

Creating a Blessing

Some thoughts that may help:

1.       Life just happens. Delays happen.

2.       It is not your fault. You are not to blame.

3.       If somehow you did cause this delay, it is a great opportunity to practice some forgiveness and compassion for yourself.

4.       It’s ok to get frustrated and angry at delays. This is normal. We all do it. It’s what we do with the emotions that matters.

5.       Take the opportunity to accomplish something. If you are sitting at the airport waiting for your delayed plane, call a friend. If sitting in traffic, listen to an inspirational blog. If waiting for your loved in the hospital waiting room, take time to pray and meditate.

Remember, you don’t always have to be doing something productive. In fact, sometimes the delay is productive. It might be making space for something unexpectedly wonderful to happen in your life.

Who knows. The delay could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.