Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  December 11, 2025

The Power of Waiting: A Lesson I Didn’t Expect to Learn

Between summer travel and my big trip to Morocco, something happened that forced me to drop a lifelong habit. In doing so, I learned a lesson that will be a priority in 2026: the power of waiting.

Backstory: For a variety of reasons, three of my international orders got delayed in customs. I was out of town at the time (and assumed the emails were a scam), so I ignored them. When I finally responded, I didn’t fill out the customs form correctly and told them I was the end user. I also reached out to the companies to give them a heads-up. And then… nothing happened.

Normally, when I hit process roadblocks like this, I leap into action with a follow-up plan that borders on stalking. But my schedule was slammed, so I procrastinated. What happened next was the real surprise: Everything resolved itself. All the packages cleared customs about 10 days later, and I received my cool stuff without lifting another finger.

Here’s what I learned: For action-oriented people, waiting feels like doing nothing. But it isn’t. Sometimes the power of waiting is exactly what we need. It saves time, conserves energy, and lets the systems we don’t control work themselves out while we focus on things that matter.

Less work, less stress. I’m all in. What are you willing to stop doing in 2026?

Now Read This:

• Great Things Happen When We Slow Down
• Strategic Sounding Boards Give Real-World Advice for When the Rubber Meets the Road