Why I Finally Quit Being a Waiter and Why You Should Quit Too

I am going to let you in on a secret. For years, I was a waiter. You can always find a group of waiters who, like you, were right on the verge of a big break or finally being discovered. However, instead of putting yourself out there and pushing through, returned to waiting, because, like me, waiting was comfortable and familiar.   Where was I waiting? Usually wherever I was at the time. Oh, did you think I was waiting tables at a restaurant somewhere? That’s not the waiting I am writing about now. I was waiting on someone or some event to tell me, “It’s your time to step up and start living.”I wasn’t waiting tables. I was waiting on life.

Waiting on Life

What was I waiting for?

• The perfect timing.
• The perfect conditions.
• The elimination of ALL risks.
• A sign. Or at least an engraved invitation.
• Permission.
• Assurances.

Does any of this ring a bell with you? Do you have a dream within you that wants to come out? I know you do. We all do. That’s how we are wired.Maybe like me you’ve been waiting. Waiting for some of the same things I was waiting on. Waiting on something to happen before launching out to pursue the dream. I remember looking at others and thinking:

“Why do they get all of the breaks?”

“Why is that happening for them and not me?”

“Why can’t I be more like them?”

“Why did they get that promotion instead of me?”

“How did that opportunity ‘just land in their lap’?”

After some period of waiting, I’d think, “My time has come” and muster the motivation to get out there and try something new. But when it didn’t generate the response I wanted, or work out the way I had planned, I’d go back to waiting. After all, I was really good at waiting.

You Will NEVER Be Ready Enough

I now realize that much of my waiting was tied to the Readiness Myth. The belief that what you need most is to focus on getting ready. Then, once you are fully ready, then, and only then, the perfect timing will automatically appear — the conditions for launching whatever it is in your heart to launch will be rightThe moon and stars align, and all of the conditions will finally be perfect. You know, the time when the market, the economy, consumer demand, consumer confidence, and yes, even the weather are perfect. Like a poised lion, you pounce and strike while the iron is hot and instantly become an overnight success.I don’t want to be Danny Downer and rain on your parade, but there is one slight, minor, itsy-bitsy problem with plans like that — whether they are yours or mine. [clickToTweet tweet="The perfect time NEVER comes. You will never be fully ready, but you are already prepared. " quote="The perfect time NEVER comes. You will never be fully ready, but you are already prepared. "]Nor can you eliminate all risks. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to assess the risks and determine how to mitigate and manage the risks. That’s wisdom! Just realize that, regardless of the extent of your planning, you will never eliminate ALL of the risks. Every significant undertaking always involves risks. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t be significant.

What If You Already Have the Sign?

Or maybe like me, you grew up with the expectation that you needed a sign before launching out into something bold and audacious. If not a sign, at least an engraved invitation. Some sort of outward manifestation or confirmation that you are on the right track or at least  heading in the right direction. It’s as though we forget that the very desire to make the world a better place is planted in us by the Divine and not something we dreamed up on our own. However, due to insecurity or uncertainty, we doubt what we sense in ourselves and long for someone to give us assurance. And we find great comfort in divine direction. So you wait. Hoping for some supernatural sign that provides assurance that what you are doing is what you should be doing.What if you already had a sign and just didn’t recognize it as such. What if the sign is joy or delight? I love the wisdom of this insight from Frederich Buechner:

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deepest hunger meet.

You would do well to pay attention to what gladdens your heart and satisfies your soul. The great distance runner, Eric Liddell, whose trials and triumph from the 1924 Olympic Games was portrayed in the movie, Chariots of Fire, had a unique perspective:

I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.

What are you doing when you sense the smile of God in your life? Learn to recognize that joy, pleasure, and delight as signs — internal indications that you are on the right path. These are green lights to keep going.

Last Week, I Quit Waiting Again

Perhaps you are waiting for permission. Permission to take risks, permission to leave your comfort zone and try something new, permission to explore and experiment, permission to fail, and perhaps more importantly, permission to succeed. Guess what? Here’s your permission slip. A few years ago, I finally decided to quit waiting. I finally realized the perfect time will never come. Nor will the perfect conditions. I can’t eliminate all of the risks. Readiness is not only a myth; it’s often our excuse. Let me illustrate my most recent experience when I quit waiting. About 90 days ago, a friend encouraged me to “give Facebook Live a try.” Did I take his advice and jump right in and try it? Of course not, that’s not what waiters do. Instead, I began researching, studying, and worst of all, comparing. I made a long list of all the things I needed to do before I deemed myself ready.

Affinity for Action

Then last week I had an epiphany. Seth Godin played a part in this one. I stumbled across this line in What To Do When It’s Your Turn,

There is a fundamental difference between being ready and being prepared. You are more prepared than you realize. You probably aren’t ready, and you can’t be ready, not if you’re doing something of significance.

Once again, I decided it was time to quit waiting and spring into action. My tribe craves authenticity, not hype or perfectly polished performances.[clickToTweet tweet="People crave #authenticity. An overly polished performance seems plastic, not authentic." quote="People crave authenticity. An overly polished performance seems plastic, not authentic."]I whipped out my smartphone, jotted down three points to share, made a makeshift stand for my phone and went live. You can view it here.Was it perfect? Of course not. Did it hurt? Not one bit!But it’s done. It is part of developing the confidence to take action and action is the antidote to waiting.

Do Something NOW

Instead of dreaming and waiting, start dreaming and doing. Adopt an affinity for action. Do something that moves you forward. Today. Now. After all, now is the only moment you really have. If you don’t take action right now, you are only continuing to wait.Are you longing for a community that supports and encourages you to act on your dream? Living Your WHY is a place to share your heart and take the next step that you’ve been waiting to take. Join us here and start Living Your WHY today.