The waiting game. I’ve played it. A lot.

I’ve even enjoyed it some of the time. Emphasis on some of the time. Certainly not all of the time. After all, who likes waiting?

My cat Nemo, who is handsomely pictured here, loves to wait for a little while as I put my hand under the blanket and slowly expose the tip of one of my fingers then quickly draw it back from view. He’ll wait while I do that two, three, maybe even four times, but then he pounces. He can’t take the waiting any longer, so he thrusts himself fully and with wild abandon into the bundle of blanket and hand and fingers. He stops waiting and jumps in, he rolls around, kicks, chews, claws, and rolls around some more. Once he’s jumped in, he wants more. He’s having a blast.

So, we keep playing and he waits less and pounces more as we continue. He’s realized that the most fun is in the rolling around. He’s realized that the most fun is being fully in the game.

I believe we can learn a lot from Nemo.

What’s got your attention and got you waiting? Are you thinking about taking that class? Asking for that promotion? Telling someone that you love them? Hiring a coach? Training for that marathon? Quitting that job? Leaving that relationship? What’s got your attention and got you waiting?

I’m not, for a second, encouraging you to pounce before you’re ready. But I am encouraging you to figure out what, exactly, you are waiting for? Is it one more piece of information? More money? Another conversation? What is it?

While waiting might not be too much fun, when you know what you need in order to stop waiting, the time spent waiting doesn’t feel meaningless. And when you know what you are waiting for, and take that next step of getting involved in getting that which you need, waiting becomes downright purposeful. And purposeful waiting puts the power to create the life you want right there in front of you…and you’re first in line…so there’s no waiting.

Whatever you’re waiting for, name it. Ask what it would take, what you need to know, have, believe or feel in order to stop waiting. Then get involved, get active in the pursuit of what you need, so that the waiting game can be over and you can pounce full on into your life. That’s where the fun is. That’s where you are meant to be. Like Nemo.