What if the seasons of waiting in your life weren’t wasted time — but the very spaces where the magic happens to shape the future you desire?
When my husband and I moved to Sydney in 2009, we thought it would look very different to what we experienced — just a brief pause before stepping into the next big thing. We imagined a year or two, but it turned into eight.
Eight years of feeling in between.
Eight years of wondering when the door to the “next” would open.
Eight years of me shifting gears with my career not once, but twice.
If I’m honest, there were moments the waiting felt frustrating and endless. I questioned whether we were moving forward. But somewhere during it, I realised I had a choice: I could let the waiting drain me… or I could lean into gratitude.
One of the ways my husband and I and our family began to shift was by embracing adventure. If what we had expected wasn’t happening, we could still choose to create moments worth remembering. Most weekends, we’d head out and explore the coastal walks around Sydney Harbour — from the cliff paths of Watsons Bay to the quiet inlets of Balmoral and the sweeping views from North Head.
Those walks changed us. We moved from feeling isolated and closed in by the intensity of city living to feeling expansive, curious, and connected to the beauty around us. We looked outside our circumstances to experience nature, possibilities and new perspective. It was as though the city was gently reminding us: even in the waiting, there is wonder to be found.
I realised the waiting wasn’t holding me back. It was building me. It was creating space for the person I was becoming and shaping the future I didn’t yet have the words for.
Why gratitude matters in the waiting
Psychologist Dr. Robert Emmons, one of the world’s leading researchers on gratitude, has found that practising it regularly can increase happiness levels by up to 25% and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Gratitude shifts the focus from what’s missing to what’s already here. And in seasons of waiting, this can be life-changing — because when we change how we experience the present, we also change the way we step into the future.
A 2017 study in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who practised gratitude while anticipating a future event reported greater patience, optimism, and positive emotions — regardless of how long they had to wait.
How do you cultivate gratitude in the waiting…
- Name your daily wins
Each evening, write down three things you’re grateful for from that day — no matter how small. Over time, your brain will start noticing the good more naturally. - Reframe the wait as preparation
Ask yourself: If this waiting is shaping the future me, what qualities or skills might I be developing right now? - Anchor in the present
Use your senses to bring you back to now — notice what you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Gratitude thrives in the present moment. - Celebrate micro-milestones
Even if the big breakthrough hasn’t arrived, acknowledge the small steps you’ve taken. They’re part of your transformation. - Explore your world outside your circumstances by getting into nature, hiking, camping connecting with what lights you up.
Think about this…
What if the waiting isn’t a detour but the very road to where you’re meant to be?
What if this is where the magic is — the place where unseen shifts are happening, shaping the life you’re stepping into?
Gratitude can transform the waiting from a frustrating pause into a powerful place of growth.
Look for the small things. Notice the quiet shifts. Celebrate what’s here now.
One day, you’ll look back and realise the waiting wasn’t in the way.
It was the way.