[suggested meditation for this topic]
It can be good to wait, and yet, we all know that results come from action. With regard to waiting, avoid the trap of what I will call “passive waiting” and train yourself for “active waiting”. Active waiting can be described as “waiting with awareness” or “waiting with readiness”.
In the practice and training of martial arts, the principle of waiting with awareness and readiness is very important. In marital arts, there is a continual movement occurring at many levels. There is external movement, and external stillness. There is external waiting and there is internal waiting. In martial arts awareness is extremely important.
In Aikido, we learn to blend with the forces that are coming at us. To blend forces requires awareness and readiness. Awareness and readiness are extremely important because survival depends on engaging with what is coming at you and not being overpowered.
Taking this example into your life, recognize that you are a movement in life. To be a movement in life you must have awareness. The degree to which you cultivate your awareness will predict the success and fulfillment you experience in life. Each day, spend a few moments in noticing “what is”. Sit and listen to your surroundings. Sit and listen to your inner thoughts. Take on a practice to sharpen your awareness. For example, when you find yourself waiting in line at the grocery store, wait with awareness. Listen, look, notice. When you are actively waiting, you are engaged with life and not retreating from life. When you are in the car and stopped at a red light, instead of looking at your phone, wait with awareness. Look, listen, notice what is around you.
You are a movement in life. As a movement in life, notice that awareness supports you even in stillness. Waiting with awareness is the skill of “active waiting”. Simply put, when you are actively waiting you are waiting with awareness and ready to be in action.
Meditation supports you in building the readiness to act as it trains you in awareness. Living with awareness and readiness, you are available to witness life’s treasures and ready to engage with and respond to the challenges that come your way.