The waiting game of chronic pain is an ordeal that virtually all ill and pained people know too well. Waiting becomes a major obstacle in life for sick people, especially if they are currently in various stages of treatment. However, waiting should never define life. It is vital to live each day for itself, without merely existing while holding off on any proactive participation in life.
Waiting is inherent to sickness and pain. We wait to see doctors. We wait to get tests performed. We wait to discover the results of said testing. We wait to see doctors once again. We wait until treatment is scheduled. We wait until the results of treatment are apparent. We often repeat this cycle throughout the year, over many years and sometimes, for life.
We wait for relief to come. We wait to pursue our dreams and goals until we feel better. We wait to attempt all manner of challenges, since we are sure that we will fail in our current compromised state of health. We wait to find happiness, life satisfaction and a sense of purpose. We wait with the hope that someday we can act and live normally, without our pain or illness binding us to this ever-present moment of waiting.
In my coaching practice, I see the negative effects of waiting on my clients each and every day. However, I do not have to even look that far, since I am also a person who also waits for my own dreams to become reality.
There is nothing wrong with waiting, as long as you do not set barriers in your current life that prevent living life in the present. In essence, waiting for goals to arrive is fine, but you must still move forward and actively participate in life immediately in order to make the most of each day’s opportunities. This is easily said, but can be difficult for chronically ill and pained people to actually follow through on. Therefore, I make it a major objective of my coaching work to help people to find positive thoughts, actions and goals to accomplish right now.
Waiting has a tendency to always place tomorrow always a day out of reach. Our destinations are never reached, because we are always waiting for the perfect chance to succeed. Days become weeks. Sickness remains. Weeks become months. Pain persists. Months become years. No positive change is granted to us. Years become lifetimes and we are now finished with this journey. I see this sad reality happen to wonderful people constantly. As time passes, people begin to wonder where their life has gone and why they never went after what they really wanted to do, be and accomplish.
It is with a stern warning that I encourage readers and clients alike: Do not wait as a means to an end.
It does not matter what you want from life, how limited you are physically or what type of illness or pain you are afflicted with. You can achieve far beyond what you think is possible. All you need to do is stop waiting and start trying. Set realistic goals. Brainstorm a plan to excel in the simplest tasks that seemed daunting before. Succeed and push yourself to the next level of confidence and empowerment.
This is the coaching process at work. This is why my job is the most rewarding endeavor that I have ever incorporated into my life. I actually get to be that mythical character who helps makes dreams come true for my very real clients. However, when it all comes down to it, it is the client who does everything they need to do, with the power and strength that already exist inside them right now. I only help them to realize just how strong they are and get them past the idea of waiting for life to happen, and on to the concept of crafting their lives, starting right this very moment, one second at a time.
