Have you ever found yourself rushing through a rough situation to get to the good part?

“I can’t wait until I get a better job so that I can pay my bills…”

“I can’t wait to get married …..”

And my personal favorite: “I can’t wait until Friday…”

We’ve all been there. We look for hope beyond whatever negative situation we may be stuck in at the moment only to miss out on experiencing life in the present. It’s as if somehow we’ve been trained in our thinking that life begins again once the “bad” stuff passes us by.

As long as we are living, “bad stuff” will happen. We will find ourselves in less-than-ideal situations. However, if we simply live waiting for the good times, we will miss many significant times and teachable moments.

How can we find the hope in the midst of a struggle besides just waiting for it to be over? The answer may surprise you.

Some of the best examples of living life in times of struggle comes from celebrities. People leaving home to achieve their dream only to discover fierce competition and having to wait tables to make ends meet. I can think of one who actually slept in his car—and managed to bring his “A” game during the day. He schmoozed with people who could help him reach his potential—even flirted with a few ladies. Though his current situation was less than ideal he knew the only way to survive was to live his life as “normally” as possible until the situation changed. In his mind, he didn’t see it as a choice because he didn’t know when that time was going to come. He was afraid he would miss opportunities if he allowed the fact that he was homeless to dictate what was actually happening in “real time”.

Another successful entrepreneur recalled that the best memories of her life occurred in the midst of struggle. That she and fellow starving artists would camp out on the floor of a tiny studio apartment and eat ramen noodles every day. They laughed and joked over a game of cards, and practiced their individual crafts on one another, which in turn created “advertisement” for the others. Just think what would have happened if they didn’t have that fun time in the struggle?

In my last post you may recall that my car is being serviced–the arrival of a necessary part is being delayed due to manufacturing issues—an unfortunate complication of the years-long COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, I restricted the use of my loaner vehicle to work and emergency runs only. I realized later that life is still happening around me—whether I wait for the car to be completed or not. For example, that part could take two months…I am not waiting two months for a pedicure!

What if while waiting for a better job so that we can pay the bills, we enrolled in a free course doing something we love—if for anything—just to get the credentials?

What if while waiting to get married we took the time to discover what we actually have to offer to our future spouse–things not necessarily we are good at doing but things we’ve never done before?

What if while waiting for Friday we create something to look forward to each day of the week leading up to it?

Those questions (and answers) are found in the journey.