Know how to wait, life is valuable

Everyone who grew up in Taiwan was so full of schedules that he didn’t even have time to sleep. So Taiwanese are not used to slowing down, waiting, or the feeling of “nothing to do” at first glance. Few people realize that life is valuable only if you know how to wait.

Slow down to be inspired

You drive and ride your motorcycle past the same place every day, and you just pass by. Day after day, year after year, you don’t actually get the chance to observe these places carefully. Taking a bus and looking at the details along the road from the car is a way to slow down. Walking is of course better.

Why slow down? If you only watch what you want to watch every day, your life will never change. No surprises, no chance of change. If you love your current job and life, that’s fine. But I know you don’t love.

Only by slowing down will you have a chance to pay attention to details that you don’t think you need to know. You will find that many phenomena will only be realized after you notice that they are related to you, and then you will think of some thoughts that would never be triggered if you did not notice this phenomenon. And you need those thoughts to get out of your way, out of a life you’re not really satisfied with right now.

Take your time, it’s faster. Know how to slow down, and you will find inspiration in life faster.

Waiting is the most valuable time

Just say see a doctor. People often complain that they wait two or three hours at outpatient clinics of large hospitals just to see them for two or three minutes. But waiting for a doctor is also the best time to observe the vicissitudes of life. Watching all kinds of people go in and out of the clinic, watching their interactions with doctors and nurses, you will realize that everyone in this world has a different relationship with the world. You may also realize that your own physical problems are minor compared to others.

Waiting for the bus is also. Many people think that waiting for the bus is just “waiting”. But if you don’t wait for the bus, you won’t have the opportunity to stay in that corner of the city for so long. The waiting time is also the best time to observe. Pay a little attention to when the car comes, but most of your attention can be used to observe people and things in the environment.

And wait for the red light. Pauses in motion are also valuable moments. Those who usually do not have the opportunity to observe, now have the opportunity. Don’t just think about “when can the waiting end”, but live in the present, and make good use of the waiting time to observe and experience the environment.

Waiting is not a waste of time. Conversely, waiting time is the most valuable time. That’s your chance to “sample the world”. Every wait adds to your understanding of the world.

Stay blank, there is hope

Taiwanese don’t like to leave blank space, and even say “don’t leave blank space in life”. People are used to being filled. If there is a little bit of blank space, I will find a way to fill in something. For example travel. No matter where people go, there is always something to eat, drink and play. To “not do” something is to feel and experience quietly, but it is uncomfortable.

But when you’re all filled, you lose all freedom. You can only go to the end of your life on the same unhappy track over and over again. I’m not sure you’d like this.

If you know how to leave blank, you will have new observations and insights into the world, new imaginations about life, and hope. Activities that require creativity in particular often require an “insight,” or an ingenious solution to a difficult problem. And epiphany often does not happen when you “think hard”, but when you leave blank.

You are tired of thinking about a difficult problem. Pull yourself out, distract yourself, and stop thinking about it. Epiphany often occurs at such a time of “not thinking about it”.

If your life has always been filled to the brim, deliberately leaving blank spaces requires retraining. If you don’t know how to start, start by training yourself to like waiting.

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