Waiting is Hell (and It’s Not Patience)

It’s not about building patience, it’s about surviving the uncertainty.

Let’s clear this up: waiting and patience? Not the same thing. Right now, I’m waiting for news about my dog’s surgery. And if you think I’m handling it like some Zen master, think again. My mind is a wreck. Time has slowed to a crawl, and I’m glued to my phone like it’s a lifeline. Here’s the hard truth: waiting has nothing to do with patience.

Patience is calm—it’s choosing to trust that things will come together eventually. But waiting? That’s when life puts you in a chokehold and reminds you just how fragile you really are. You pour yourself into a project, you give everything at work, you follow every step. And then what? You wait. For the raise, for the results, for someone else to decide your fate. You’ve done all you can, and now it’s out of your hands. That’s the cruel part. Waiting isn’t about being patient—it’s about sitting in that agonizing gap between “now” and “knowing.” It’s where doubt and fear run wild.

This is the most human part of life, but no one talks about it. It’s not glamorous or heroic. It’s raw. It’s you staring at your phone, refreshing emails, replaying worst-case scenarios in your head. Because even with all our tech, all our progress, we’re still at the mercy of time and outcomes we can’t control.

So, when life forces you into this waiting game, what will you do? Accept that you’re powerless? Or fight back against the one thing you’ve never had control over?

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