Photo: Isaac Castillejos on Unsplash
Have a little faith.
By Meaghan Summers — Written on May 23, 2019
You know the saying, "Good things happen when you least expect them to." The idea is if you wait expectantly, then nothing seems to happen the way you really want it to. But, for some reason, if you just let life play itself out and be an obedient, little pawn in someone else’s game, then good things will happen because you weren’t anxiously waiting for them to happen.
The same thing goes for a watched pot; the water only seems to boil when you stop watching and waiting for it to happen.
It’s the advice that you get whenever you want it the least (which is a bit ironic, if you ask me).
Like, when you’re looking for a partner or a romantic relationship and your mom tells you that you need to lower your standards — just stop looking because that’s when he’ll find you. Or when you’ve been scouring the internet for a new job for months with no luck and when you've finally given up sending dozens of applications out each week, the best job somehow reaches out in response to a resume you posted ages ago.
But, why? Why does this saying seem to hold true, proving your mother right (ugh) and your efforts futile?
Well, it often has something to do with the art of distraction and our human need for breaks. Take a look at the 4 reasons below that explain why good things happen when you least expect them to:
1. You need a break to be able to see the bigger picture.
When you are engaged in another activity, focused on something else besides your one goal in life, then you may be able to think more clearly. Remember those moments when you solved a hard math problem in your head while doing the dishes? Or that time when you figured out how to end your novel on your walk with your dog? Yeah, it’s like that.
2. You need to let go of the idea of "settling" and instead let things just happen.
Distracting yourself with other activities, goals and things. Demonstrating a desperate need for something can make you settle for something you don’t really want – something that isn’t right for you. However, embracing the unexpected moments, like the ones in which you suddenly realize how to resolve a situation that has been stewing in your mind forever, can bring you tremendous joy.
3. You need to give up control.
Only when you relinquish your control over a situation do you get what you want out of it.
If you’re anything like me, then you absolutely hate hearing that, occasionally, trying is the very thing that sabotages your changes of succeeding. Though, is that really what that old adage is saying? Let’s break it down into a more productive form of advice for people waiting for something to happen because, after some consideration, I think it can be great advice as long as it's not misunderstood.
4. You need to live in the moment.
Even though it’s mostly true, the saying doesn’t want you to just give up. Instead, it wants you to live in the moment rather than to live for the future. The Huffington Post has discussed this concept as well in the sense that allowing yourself to do what makes you happy and healthy can lead you to finding great things, especially a significant other.
So, don’t stress about your future career path, when you’ll find someone you love or if your life will work out in the end. At least, try not to.
And remember that, when someone tells you that it’ll happen when you least expect it, be confident that you can follow that saying without sacrificing your core values in life.
Meaghan Summers is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.