It is so hard to wait for something these days. We are so used to getting what we want instantaneously – you can get the answer to your question within seconds from Alexa, or have your groceries delivered in under 2-hours, or get same-day delivery on a product ordered online. We are able to see the people we want to talk to via Zoom or Facetime rather than have a phone call. Don’t get me wrong, I love these advances yet as we enter into the holiday season, these weeks before Christmas are a time of preparation and waiting for the time together with family, the sharing of gifts, and the time off. I have a tendency to want to rush this time to get to the “good stuff” or “get something done and off my plate.”
When I develop a training, write a blog, have a conversation, or make recommendations to a company, I sometimes find it hard to get started on it. Something in me says that I am not ready and I can actually feel resistance to get working on it. In the past I would have called this procrastination but over the years I have learned to call this percolating time. This is a time when I research information, think about different ways to present my ideas, play out in my head different scenarios or exercises, check in with my heart about the connections and felt-experience I want my audience to have, and pay attention to any gut instincts that I need to check out. Most important is the time I just let it all go and give time and space for all the information to settle within and then, often in the middle of the night, it all comes together and I know exactly the approach I want to take. I can tell the difference between when I am percolating and when it is time to get into action. I have learned to recognize when I am resisting or procrastinating and when it is just time to percolate. I have found that the time of waiting, and letting go of the demand to “get it done” has often resulted in the best work I’ve ever done.
Between now and the end of the year there is a lot of getting things done to finish out the year and preparation for the holidays, yet I propose that there may be some things that just need time to percolate and not be rushed. What might those be for you?
In these weeks to come, may you practice the art of waiting or percolating, as I call it, and may your practice result in an unexpected gift!
Theresa Gale
PRINCIPAL, TRANSFORM, INC.
