Patience Vs. Action Is A Juggling Act

Juggling, a photo by andrewmalone on Flickr.

A friend of mine has a big decision to make. She was presented with a job offer that could add an interesting dimension to her career trajectory. But the job isn’t perfect. She isn’t sure if she should give up the secure one she is already in.

Patience vs. action is a juggling act. When a career opportunity presents itself, how inclined are you to act upon it?

Creativity can be snuffed out by too much inaction. You may have a brilliant business idea whose time has come, and a small window of time to execute it. In my friend’s case, you may have a tight deadline to accept the job offer.

But patience should not be interpreted as procrastination.  To consider the words of Lao Tzu: Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself? With patience, time allows details and alternative perspectives to rise to the surface. You might see possibilities that weren’t apparent before.

If you feel discomfort about not acting quickly, it’s probably your ego whispering in your ear, saying I’ve lost my edge as a great decision-maker or I need to be more resolute. The ego doesn’t care about the big picture. It cares more about winning the new job and proving to your current bosses that you can do better. The ego thrusts your attention toward winning the race of getting a new business idea to market. Avoid acting impulsively on this kind of advice.

Instead, ask yourself: By taking on the new job offer (or project)…am I moving toward my bigger goal, or am I simply running away from a situation I’m just not happy with? 

Here's another point to consider. It’s really tempting to let others make the decision for you. My colleague wants to get past the insecurity of making a potential mistake with her career. Should her family weigh in? Should I help her decide? Will it work itself out? Should she leave it to God?

Whether she decides to take the new job or not, it’s within all of us to appreciate a decision we’ve weighed for ourselves. I think that in the end, we want to know that we discovered the choice on our own. We need to use our own power to choose.

Perhaps the best thing to do is take small actions WHILE being patient. You can take incremental steps with your bigger goals in mind, and if you fail, you won't beat yourself up. This way, you'll still have your eye on what’s most important to you.