Testy Horses and the Art of Speed Waiting

"What are you waiting for?" said Nelson, looking at me impatiently. "Well? Go on. Get saddled up!"

I was eighteen years old and had just entered my first rodeo. However, the horse I expected to ride in a roping competition had taken ill. The one I was about to ride instead had an "attitude". He was known to become testy when his riders least expected it.

The seconds crawled as I stared at this beautiful and very spirited animal. "New horse. No time to make friends with him." It was a memorable lesson that procrastination isn't always an option. During the years to follow, I would learn that life is sometimes as unpredictable as a testy horse. Often, there isn't any backing out at the last minute.

Comedian Steven Wright once quipped, "I took a course in speed waiting. Now I can wait an hour in only ten minutes."

If only it were that simple when moving into unfamiliar terrain. Hesitation feels safer than stepping forward and taking risks for a dream. Yet waiting could be a greater risk. It only takes an instant to take a leap of faith, and only an instant for time to run out.

Here are some good questions to ponder:

Exactly what is it you are waiting for, and what are you doing while you wait? If it is something that requires patience, what makes the wait worthwhile? Ten minutes can seem like ten hours if your heart isn't in what you are doing.

I view Steven's "speed waiting" as more than a clever phrase. It is an art we can learn. We "speed wait" when we savor the small victories along the journey to our dreams. We "speed wait" when we pass our time with actions that uplift us and nurture the quality of life for others. When we are living from our soul, the hours melt into seamless moments of satisfaction.

At first, I had no idea what I would type into this little article. Then I read the following quotes at the top of the ezine issue I was working on: "Do not wait for a ray of ambition to guide you to your dreams. You will get there much sooner, and the light will be much brighter if you start today." - Michelle C. Ustaszeski

"Beethoven, Wagner, Bach and Mozart settled down day after day to the job in hand with as much regularity as an accountant settles down each day to his figures. They didn't waste time waiting for inspiration." - Ernest Newman (1868 - 1959)

"How much of human life is lost in waiting." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) I thought about Steven's intriguing course of study and remembered climbing onto that testy horse.

I recalled how the hours seem to fly when I'm doing work that I love. Then I thought, "What are you waiting for?" And in ten minutes, the waiting was over!

So, what are you waiting for? Try the art of "speed waiting" today, and enjoy every moment of the wait!

© Copyright 2005 by Steve Brunkhorst. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve your top potential. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com

---

The True Cost Of A Lack of Motivation

And what a lack of motivation means..As you read this... Read More

Change - The Skill Of Adapting To The Inevitable

Change your thoughts and you change your world. -Norman Vincent... Read More

Christian Gladiators? Athletics as a Metaphor for the Christian Lifestyle

When Paul first arrived in Corinth in the middle of... Read More

The Reason Nothing Happens - Is Because Nothing Is Happening!

I hear many clients declare how boring and stagnant their... Read More

Are You Travelling Along The Slippery Slope To Your Grave?

When it comes right down to it where ever you... Read More

Resistance Is Natural - but Not Helpful - in Times of Change

Here are five feelings we all experience in changing times.... Read More

How to Master Lifes Problems

"Life is a Tiger-ride, by no means easy, but ride... Read More

Celebrating the Couch Potato

Ah, the couch potato, that icon of American pop culture... Read More

Ten Tips to Create More Life for Your Life

When people begin to investigate career change, often they don't... Read More

Going with the Flow

This whole idea of change is founded on a single... Read More

Beyond Procrastination ? 8 Questions To Ask Yourself

Why am I constantly putting things off? Why don't I... Read More

What Would You Change?

When talking with people about their life, or their job,... Read More

Its Not Your Fault

Have you ever wondered what's really holding you back from... Read More

Facing Our Fears

'You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in... Read More

Walk In The Light

It was a mild October night, weeks after the horrific... Read More

Ambitiously Pursuing Your Own Self

(Excerpted from The Power of Ambition series)What is the origin... Read More

How to Stay Motivated Until You Get What You Want

And somehow you knew how to stay motivated...Goals are mysterious... Read More

Chasing Your Dreams!

Friends, it is always a power of your dreams and... Read More

Keeping Your Eyes Wide Open: A Letter to a Grandson

One day, a young man was cleaning out his late... Read More

What If I Fall Flat On My Face?

I hope you do. Sounds awful, I know. But I... Read More

6 Simple Steps To Accelerating your Learning

What is Accelerated learning?Simply put, accelerated learning is the ability... Read More

How Much Risk Is Too Much To Take?

The ladder was braced against the railings going to the... Read More

Motivation: The Power of Action, Part 2

The Three D's of Action are Decide, Do and Distinguish.... Read More

Selective Perspective

Picture this: A mother and daughter are looking at the... Read More

Make The Most Of Today

"Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at... Read More

How to Become an Effective Self-Help User

"Know Yourself" That's what the big guy said way back... Read More

Its Only Too Late If You Dont Start Living Now

Remember when summer seemed to last forever? My mother use... Read More

3 Clever Ways To Stop Procrastinating

Stopping procrastination can be challenging, especially since you can't put... Read More

The Time to Act

Engaging in genuine discipline requires that you develop the ability... Read More

3 Great Ways to Beat Procrastination at Work

As more tasks become automated due to advances in technology... Read More

Speed Reading Technique

Four Brilliant Tips to Speed Read Faster than EverMany people,... Read More

Self Confidence: How To Build Your Confidence In Three Simple Steps

To Feel Confident ? A C TA new, more exciting... Read More

Are You Still Stuck on Still?

Are you still "stuck on still?" If so, don't let... Read More