THE WAITING PERIOD || HOW TO UTILIZE YOUR WAITING PERIOD.

Hello and welcome to my blog. It is 11PM on a Tuesday night and I am in bed thinking of the next phase of my life.

Today's blog post is easily relatable. It is about the waiting period. The waiting period is a time in a person’s life where you are expecting a certain thing and you have done all that’s within your reach to get it, and now all you have to do is sit and wait for it to happen. It can be really frustrating at times; the uncertainty and sudden feeling of emptiness can be very upsetting and degrading.

Most of my blog post tally with what I am currently going through in life so, you guessed right; I am currently in my ‘waiting period’. A few months ago (as most of you who read my blog and/or know me personally already know), I finished my one year compulsorily law school program (click here to read all about it) and now I am currently waiting for my results to be go. Not only that, I am also waiting for a call back from various job interviews, for my NYSC posting and for a lot of other things. Basically, this is one of the most crucial moments of my life and I can do nothing right now but wait. I am naturally not a patient person so you can already tell how hard it is for me.

Like me, a lot of people have been or are currently in the “waiting period” of their lives. Its either your waiting for your results, a job, an admission/scholarship, a promotion, a new apartment, a husband/wife, the list goes on and on. We all have something that we are currently waiting on, it’s a part of life.

During the waiting period it is easy to fall into depression, boredom and loneliness. It is easy to feel like nothing is going on for you. It is easy to feel like life is moving and you are stuck in the same place, it gets even worse when you see your mates climbing up the ladder of success, breaking barriers and doing great things so effortlessly. But remember, everybody is on a different journey in life, don’t compare yourself with others from a point of jealousy.

I have recently come to the realization that everybody has this period in their life and very few people tend to take advantage of this period. Utilizing your waiting period will determine how you go about the next phase of your life when the thing you have been waiting for finally comes. It is not enough to say ‘since it is the waiting period then let me just sit around and do nothing’. You have to get up and utilize this period.

I am no motivational speaker as I can already see that this blog post is taking a “motivational post” turn. As I wrote earlier, I am currently in my waiting period and I would like to share some of the things I do and would like to do during this period. Most of these things have reduced the anxiety that comes with the waiting period.

What to do during the waiting period.

·         Pray: I am not the most spiritual person but I try to always include God in every phase of my life.  During your waiting period it would be important to pray to God for guidance. My favorite scripture in the bible, Jerimiah 29 v 11 says “For I know the thoughts I have towards you, thoughts of good and not of evil, to bring you to an expected end”.  This scripture has seen me through some difficult times in life (click here to read about one of those experiences). God knows the end of everything even before it begins so it would be right to pray to him for guidance during the ever-confusing waiting period.

·         Read a book. It doesn’t even have to be an educational or motivational book, just read a good book. I have realized that just by reading a good book, you improve your vocabulary. If you are waiting for a job and it is in a really specific field, pick up a book about that line of work and read about it. Improve yourself each day of your waiting period. The skills you are able to pick up during this period will never leave you.

·         Pick up a hobby/skill: Is there something you like doing and never had time for it, well guess what? Now you do.  As most of you have noticed, I started blogging more often than usual. I love blogging but I never had the time back then to be consistent with it, so much so that I started calling myself “the inconsistent blogger’. Well, now that I am in my waiting period, I have started blogging more, reading more blogs and learning on how to grow my blog and it has been fun.  Is there something you love doing? Do you love singing, dancing, writing, photography, makeup, painting, designing, sewing? Whatever it is, there is no better time to perfect that hobby than now; your waiting period. I have this friend who started her YouTube channel when she was at home waiting for a job and today, she has monetized her channel and is cashing out. So, don’t look down on that hobby you have, perfect it during this period and watch it flourish for you in the next few months or years to come. Your waiting period is a first hand opportunity given to you to grow and become a better person for the next phase of your life.

ALSO READ: Dealing With Rejection || Five Things I Do To Overcome The Feeling That Comes After Rejection.

·         Socialize: You might have never had the luxury of time to hang out with friends or go out to parties and/or events to meet people. But guess what? Now you do. Don’t just sit at home and do nothing during your waiting period, grow your circle. Meet people that would have good impact on your life. I get the fact that money might be an issue for some people (me inclusive) but I bet if you think long and hard you can come up with places and events you can go to that wouldn’t cost you that much. You can also google free events happening around you, you would be surprised as to how many there are.

·         Volunteer: I have sadly never volunteered a day in my life and this is definitely something I would like to do before the year runs out. Give back to the community, help the poor, the widowed, help your neighbors. Go to your local church and find out if there are any events happening and if they would need an extra set of hands. Go online and search for places you can volunteer at. I don’t know if it happens to other people but, there is this joy I get when I help someone out and the person smiles at me, I always feel so at peace with myself; with the world.

·         Rest: yes, you read that right. During your waiting period it is very crucial you rest. You might get tired of it instantly but you have to force yourself to rest. Your body might already be used to waking up really early each day and going to bed really late. Its important you sleep in some days, give your body that desired rest so that you can be well prepared/rested when the waiting period is over.

Remember, what you do during your waiting period will determine how you approach the next phase when that period is over. Don’t neglect your waiting period, enjoy it; utilize it.

have you ever been in a waiting period? I would  like to know all about it and what you did during that period that helped you out. Tell me all about it in the comment section.