“I stood here waiting for you to fail, instead of doing what I needed to succeed.”

Those were the words that tumbled out of my mouth as I failed to return my racquetball opponent’s shot. I hesitated, anticipating that he would miss his shot and the point would be mine. That’s not how it worked out.

Have you ever slacked off, cut corners, made a half- hearted attempt or just didn’t try at all, hoping instead that things would just roll your way?

We all have the tendency to slow down once in a while; rest and relaxation can be a good thing. But we are also prone to hesitating, procrastinating and down right avoiding effort, all on a regular basis. So, why do we do that?

There can be a number of reasons why we don’t do what is necessary to succeed. Perhaps it’s an attention deficit disorder, a physical limitation or a psychological obstacle. However, beyond those more serious conditions, it’s probably something more basic. That is - we trust more in the hope that things will just “happen,” rather than participating in our own success.

Countless opportunities are missed because we’re waiting on something. Waiting for that winning lottery number, for our competitor to stumble or fall, or for our co-worker to quit or get fired. In the process we approach things half-heartedly, or not at all, and then fail to gain the growth, awareness and enlightenment that new experiences bring. (more…)