Have you ever been in the middle of doing something that you really enjoyed, and out of nowhere you experience an unexpected delay. You were not sure what caused the delay, or how long the delay would take. The only information you were given, was that “this happened before, and things should be back on track in a few minutes.” All kinds of thoughts went through your mind about this unexpected delay. Some delays are expected and allow time to prepare for them, while other delays are unexpected, and can cause frustration in your life. When you are faced with an unexpected delay, you must be able to handle the pressures of that delay.

A friend of mine shared with me that she overslept this morning and was late for work. She said she could have panicked and got bent out of shape about oversleeping, but instead, she made a decision that being late was out of her control. She chose to handle her unexpected delay with purpose, and remained calm while preparing for work. Her story blessed me, because I thought of how so many people would have become frustrated, and anxious if they were faced with the same situation. She was a great example of how we should handle an unexpected delay.

What could she do about oversleeping? Would getting frustrated and anxious change her situation? I believe it would have made things worse for her if she panicked.

How do you handle an unexpected delay?

I experienced an unexpected delay today. I was at the movie theatre with my granddaughters, and in the middle of the movie, the electricity went out. Panic rushed through the theatre, and some of the people walked out. Although we were told that it would not take long to restore the power, some people were not willing to wait. They were experiencing frustration, and anxiety about the lights being out. This was an unexpected delay, but if they would have remained patient and calm, they would have known that the delay didn’t last long.

There is purpose in every delay!!! Focus on the purpose and not the delay. A delay is just that, a delay. A delay is not a denial; which means that once an unexpected delay ends, just like the movie started from where it stopped, life will also move forward.

Here are five tidbits for handling an unexpected delay:

Don’t panic – it’s just a delay.

Embrace the delay – they ALWAYS end.

Learn from the delay – every delay has purpose.

Acknowledge that it’s just a delay – it’s not a denial.

Yes it’s a delay – it will soon be over. Unexpected delays happen from time to time, and you must know how to navigate through them when they occur. How will you handle your next unexpected delay?

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