I had the second of my 3Lunches with a friend who is coaching me on a few writing projects that are moving at a frustrating pace. My coach is an experienced executive in the entertainment world and has spent equal time as a studio exec and an entrepreneur.

I explained to him that potential buyers had shown interest in my projects, but “give me a couple of weeks to think about it,” was the phrase I was hearing most often.

“You want things to move fast,” my friend said, “but the business world doesn’t move very quickly.  Adjust to their timing.”  Then he added, “When you want opportunities to come to you, and you want to create the potential of serendipity and luck, you need to be in the flow of traffic.”

That made me think.  Energy creates energy and if we want something to happen, we need to create the opportunity for it to actually happen. For me, that means phone calls, visits, accepting every social or work invitation I receive, and engaging with friends and fellow professionals.

We spend a lot of time in life waiting.  We wait for phone calls to be returned,  for answers to business questions,  for contracts to be signed, to hear whether we’ve been accepted into university,  whether we’ve gotten the job—it goes on and on.  If we experience the waiting as an in-held breath, we’ve accepted a passive role in the process. If we go play in the traffic of life, however, we’re an active participant in the process, stirring up energy and perhaps, getting hit by opportunity.

Let’s challenge ourselves to take a more active role in the waiting game.

Dear Eventual Decision Maker:

I’m attentive to your answer whenever you’re ready to give it, but in the meantime, I’m going to start playing in traffic, and perhaps stir up some chance and good fortune.

Sincerely,
Making Something Happen