Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain. – Anonymous, more recently attributed to Vivian Greene
What does that mean?
This quote is about living our lives, not simply waiting around for a good time to start. Too many people wait for the right moment before starting to live their life. To me, that’s just too much wasted time.
The quote starts by saying what life is not. It is not about waiting. It is not about avoiding the storm. And it is most definitely not about waiting for the storm to pass.
Waiting just allows time to pass. What gets done while you wait? Time has gone by, and you have nothing to show for it.
The quote concludes by saying that life is about learning to dance in the rain. It’s about learning to live with, and even enjoy the inevitable storms of life. Sing or dance, enjoy your life, no matter what the weather might be.
We all will face storms in our lives. It is up to us to determine how we will respond to these disruptions. Will we hide inside, waiting for it to pass, or will we continue with our lives, enjoying even the roughest of weather? It is our choice.
Why is not waiting important?
Whether you call it waiting, procrastinating, or just wasting time, what is happening is… nothing. However, time isn’t standing still, is it? It, like your life, is moving forward. If you are just waiting, you are really drifting while you wait. What will that gain for you?
Another problem with waiting is that it can be much harder to learn when you aren’t doing anything. I differentiate between doing nothing and cerebral exercises, such as reading or planning. One can learn and do, even if you aren’t out dancing.
Yet, eventually, we must take action. Sometimes there is no possible way to do anything without getting wet. That is when we must learn to dance in the rain. Or to do whatever we need to get done.Rain or shine, life must go on.
The implication of dancing is that we are enjoying it. If you have to do something, the least you could do is learn how to enjoy doing it. Even if it might be the best time, or perfect weather, we still must do, so let’s have some fun while we’re doing it, right?
Where can I apply this in my life?
We all go through rough weather at various points in our lives. Sometimes we sit down, to wait for the storm to pass, and then forget to get back up. Take a moment to consider where in your life you might have paused for a break in the weather, and never gotten back to it.
What about the storms presently in your life? They are the things which this quote is specifically focused. Take a moment to consider what, where, and how severe are your storms at this moment in time.
Are there storms in your family life? Are there storms with or between your friends? Are there storms at work, between co-workers, or even between your company and the customer? What about your social groups, are there any storms there? Weather can come up fast from any direction, can’t it?
But the question remains, what will you do? It’s easier to restart the things placed on hold due to rough weather, once the weather is passed. But what about things which you have put on hold where the weather is still less than great?
Are you going to get back to it? Are you going to learn to dance in the rain? Are you going to learn to enjoy the extra challenge? Will you revel in the chance to see if you are good enough to make it happen despite the weather? At least for some of them?
If you choose to wait for the storm to pass, what are you missing? Are there opportunities slipping by? Are there people to meet, whom you will not be able to meet because you aren’t out there? Yes, there are costs to waiting, just like there are costs associated with dancing in the rain.
How many of those storms are you hiding from? While we all have our reasons or excuses, in the end, we either are doing things in the weather or we are not. That is our choice; to do or to do not. It is also our choice to enjoy it or to be miserable. Which will you choose, dancing in the rain, or waiting?
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Philosiblog.com
