Don't just do something, stand there!

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Okay, I confess- I'm one of those people that checks my email before getting out of bed in the morning (sick, I know). I also immediately feel the stress washing over me, just thinking about heading out into rush hour traffic. So the intention of this post is more therapy than sermon.

Patience is not one of my core values. As the saying goes, the only thing wrong with instant gratification is that it doesn't happen fast enough. And as much as teaching efficiency through the use of lean tools is a large part of my work life, I think I need to stop for just a few moments to reflect on the most ubiquitous waste of them all, WAITING.

As much as the need to wait shows up daily, seldom is it met with the warm reception it often times deserves. Maybe that's because I'm looking at it wrong.

Waiting in traffic to get home is at least an annoyance. But when I get home, I am fortunate to have a wonderful family to come home to - maybe the waste of waiting (at least in this case), should be re branded and turned into "anticipating". After all, when I'm traveling extensively for work, the time difference forces me to wait sometimes until 7 or 8 in the morning before I can Skype with my family back home and yet that time waiting feels wonderful. I often find myself wondering as I wait about how their day was, what my son learned in school and what their tomorrow's hold. 

Don't get me wrong, eventually the tension from my commute wears off and the conversation starts, but for all the Skype time I wish included some hugs, since my evening commute does, I think my evening commute needs to start including a healthy dose of anticipation. 

Maybe it's not much, but it's a start. Excuse me now while I get back to my email.

(Originally shared in LinkedIn 6/11/14)