Guy Reams (00:02.702)
This is day 11, when to wait and when to move on. I'm traveling again. This time I'm in Tampa, Florida. I thinking today as I was really trying to force something to happen that I've been really working on lately. It's a big, it's a grand ambition and it's just not happening as fast as I want it to. So I started thinking about patience.
Patience is often romanticized as a virtue that when practiced will inevitably lead to success. We're told that with enough waiting, everything we desire will fall into place. But anyone who has lived through seasons of uncertainty knows that it's just not that simple. Sometimes patient feels like holding your breath underwater, waiting for a breakthrough that may just never come.
Oftentimes moving on feels like you're just giving up like abandoning something you once believed in deeply So, how do we know when to hold steady and when it's time to just let go?
This is a question I've wrestled with countless times, whether it's a job, a relationship, a project, a dream. Discerning whether to stay the course or chart a new one is often one of life's most challenging decisions. It's a tug of war between hope and reality, between what might be and just what is. So let me offer a framework I thought through today, simple but not easy.
To help me navigate my own decision my own life and potentially help others. I Think first you have to check your why? Whenever I feel stuck the first thing I ask myself is why am I doing this in the first place our motivations matter If you if your reason for staying is rooted in fear fear of failure Fear of judgment or fear of starting over it may be time to just reevaluate
Guy Reams (02:05.208)
Fear tends to trap us in cycles that lead to nowhere. On the other hand, if your why is tied to something meaningful, a value, a purpose, a vision for the future, then patience just might be the answer. Meaning is often what fuels us through the seasons of waiting. When we know why we're enduring the struggle, it becomes easier to persevere. Second, look at growth, not results. We often measure
measure progress by tangible results. Did the business turn a profit? Did the relationship move forward? Did the plan succeed? But patience isn't just about waiting for results. It's about recognizing growth along the way. Ask yourself, am I growing through this process? Is this challenge shaping me into someone stronger, wiser, or more resilient? Sometimes the journey itself is the point.
Even if the destination doesn't look like what we expected, if you're growing, even if it's slow, it may be worth holding on. However, if you're stagnant emotionally, spiritually, mentally, it's worth considering whether the situation is actually serving you. Patience without growth is simply just standing still. Third, this is going to sound trite, but listen to the still small voice.
There's part of us that knows the truth before we're ready to admit it. Call it intuition. Call it gut instinct. Call it divine guidance. Is that still small voice inside us that whispers what we often don't want to hear? When we're rushing and we're striving, we tend to drown out that voice. Patience gives us the space to actually listen, to ask ourselves the really hard questions such as,
Am I staying because I'm hopeful or because I'm afraid? Is this season of my life refining me or is this actually breaking me? If I stepped away, would I feel relief or regret? Take time to sit in stillness. The answers aren't always loud and clear, but if you create space for reflection, clarity has a way of rising to the surface. Fourth, be honest about the costs.
Guy Reams (04:31.662)
Patience often requires sacrifice, time, energy, even a sense of certainty. But there's a difference between investing in something worthwhile and pouring yourself into a bottomless pit. Ask yourself, what does this actually cost me? Is this cost aligned with the potential outcome? Sometimes the things we hold on to most tightly are the very things that are draining us. The harder we grip, the harder it is to admit we're losing more than we're actually gaining.
But the opposite is also true. Sometimes the cost of quitting is higher than the cost of staying. Sometimes we let go too soon, not realizing we were on the edge of a breakthrough. I've done that once and it was painful. It's a delicate balance, one that requires both courage and being honest with yourself.
Fifth, set a timeframe. One practical way to discern whether to stay or move on is to set a timeframe. Give yourself a deadline, a season of focused effort and patience. During that time, commit fully. Don't waffle between half-hearted attempts and doubts. Be all in. At the end of that season, you can reevaluate. Has there been progress? Have you gained clarity?
Is this still worth your investment of time? Sometimes patience is about giving ourselves the grace of time, but having a timeframe helps prevent endless waiting for something that just may never come.
Guy Reams (06:06.6)
So here's the truth about letting go. Letting go isn't failure. It's not weakness. Sometimes it's the most courageous thing that we actually can do. It's trusting that moving on doesn't mean giving up on ourselves. It means making space for something better. But patient isn't weakness either. It's a willingness to endure discomfort, to wait in faith, to trust that good things just take time.
The real challenge is knowing which one the particular moment is calling for, patience or release. So here's a closing concept. There's a quote I remember, don't know who said it, but it reflects me back. It puts me in the right mindset. It says, everything that you want is on the other side of your fear.
Fear is the thread that often ties these decisions together. Fear of waiting too long, fear of quitting too soon. But when we quiet the noise down and we strip away the fear, what's left is actually clarity. And clarity gives us the courage to make the right choice, not necessarily the easy choice. So whether your path calls for patience or release, trust yourself to take the next step. Both require faith.
both require strength and both can lead to something greater than you had ever imagined.