In the meantime; those are three loaded words. They offer numerous reasons to sit still, while doing nothing. Yet, they also offer up so many opportunities for growth and change.
In the meantime: we work, we plan, we produce, but we never give up.
We have found ourselves in the particular situation of wanting so badly to start this new lifestyle, while being firmly stuck in our current one. No, it’s not horrible, or particularly bad for that matter. Instead, it is just the change and adventure that we are looking forward to. And yet, it seems so far off at times. I blame the heat and humidity of a Florida summer.
I’m not going to recycle a post I wrote for the folks at Ditching Suburbia (you can read it here: The Space Between Deciding and Going). But instead would like to share some thoughts on how we’ve managed to stay sane throughout our waiting process.
Keep in mind, all these steps can be applied to any circumstance you find yourself stuck in. I like to apply them in small-scale situations with my daughter, when a specified date is a few weeks out, and any other time progress looks a bit far off.
Still Waiting
There’s a microwave mindset that so easily sets in toady. Our environment has created far too many Veruca Salts, running around and screaming I Want It Now!
Sometimes life just doesn’t seem fair. Sometimes . . . we find ourselves in a particular spot, rooted to a point that we want to be free from. Sometimes, we’re not exactly where we want to be, or even on the right path to get there. Sometimes we just have to manage the circumstances we are given without giving up.
When things get difficult, or downright insurmountable, I like to take a step back and reflect on what the bigger picture looks like. Sure, it’s easy to wallow in self-pity, but that isn’t reality . . . it’s just the moment.
So for now we wait, while never stopping. I know that sounds contradictory, but hear me out:
- Waiting does not mean to stop moving forward, it just provides an opportunity to work towards furthering the goal.
- Waiting should never mean a lack of progress. If you can’t press forward, then begin to look laterally. You’d be surprised how those side steps will help the forward progress in the long-run.
- Waiting builds character. By not quitting when things don’t happen in your timing, you develop key traits which will surely be helpful down the line.
In the Meantime: Keep Producing
In the meantime, we have started this little experiment we call The Uncommon Road. There’s nothing fancy about it, just a family of three sharing our journey as we get closer to the reality of being yet another full-timing, RV family.
We want to make sure that this isn’t just the highlight reel, giving you only the most favorable and positive aspects of our lives. I think that we’ve kept to that end of things, while not bogging folks down with only rants and complaints. Life is fluid, things come up, and problems get solved. We want to make sure that this is represented in our posts.
Through this experiment, we even put together a little eBook to share. It’s not definitive, or all inclusive, rather a collection of solutions to some of our biggest questions in regards to fulltime RVing. We reached out and picked the brains of some real-life RVers and compiled some of the best resources that were suggested. For those who would like to be part of the RV community, might be interesting at northern lite camper for sale.
The lesson here is that during the wait, plenty can still be accomplished.
I’ve found that it takes my daughter an incredible amount of time to shower and get dressed. Sure, I could play some Angry Birds or stare at the wall, but that just might be the only 45 minutes of quite-time I have all day.
In the Meantime: Persevere
Perseverance is one of those words that finds itself on motivational posters, but is rarely applied in day-to-day life.
In this instance I would say that perseverance is the ability to stick it out despite the lack of instant gratification. We have to harness our sticktoitiveness (feel free to use this word too) and see what is on the other side of the wait.
I wonder how many things I missed out on by giving up when I couldn’t see the end . . . or didn’t want to put in the work.
Perseverance means that we will engage, and keep on engaging, whatever project is in the works all the way to completion. Even if completion turns out to be different than we expected.
In the Meantime: Overcome
Lots can be said about overcoming circumstances.
Sitting still, being complacent, or running away, never removes an obstacle. Obstacles must be confronted and dealt with in order to progress further towards a goal or dream.
By tackling the challenges we have faced along the way, we have gained valuable experience and insight. On the other side of every obstacle is a win, a win that brings us a bit closer to our dream.
To say that this time of waiting has been difficult would be an understatement. Waiting sucks! Especially, when there is this amazing goal that we/you are pursuing. But hang in there and recognize the wins for what they are. That key has been huge in keeping us sane during this wait.
Final Thoughts
Is the clock broken?
Are the calendar pages unturned?
Shouldn’t we be further along that we already are?
No matter where we are in this current process doesn’t detract from the goals we are seeking. We will continue to produce, continue to persevere, and continue to overcome challenges until we will see this thing become a reality.
Adapted from a post shared on my personal blog: http://www.theuncommonroad.com/in-the-meantime/