If ever there was research done on situational human happiness, I’m sure one of the places where happiness would be lowest would be in queues.
An outcome of the ‘age of the instant’ is that we seem to have lost a bit of patience along the way. And, given reports of increased amounts of stress, there hardly is a better place to vent. You can almost picture it as I say it – you’re standing in a queue where all is well. All of a sudden, one man or woman joins and begins making a scene. Soon, others join in and the discontent spreads like wild fire.
One of the best pieces of advice I got from a video I watched was ‘Hustle while you wait.’ I had no idea what it meant but took it as ‘Do something while you wait.’ (And turns out, that is indeed what it means..)
I am restless and impatient by nature and this line has enabled me to make peace with the process of waiting, and even come to appreciate it.
I do spend time waiting over the course of a week and I have a variety of activities to choose from – listen to a book, read the news, make a call etc. If I decide I need a break from information, then I also take pleasure from staring into nothing-ness or from a spot of people watching.
It’s amazing how much control we have in situations where it seems like we have none. And aside from our time being too precious to be thrown away, our well being is too precious to be wasted away in needless discontent and unhappiness.
Hustle while you wait. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten.
What do you do when you wait?
A Learning a Day 