Mount Vernon High School

August 22, 2025 What Will You Do While You Wait? Wherever it is you’re working to win today, especially if you're a competitor, it’s possible - likely, even - that you’re waiting for something. You may be waiting for a bigger role or a more important responsibility. You may be waiting for the person in charge to notice your contribution and give you the recognition you deserve. You may be waiting for your chance to shine. The truth is, some of the most rewarding experiences and important opportunities in life only come for those with the patience and persistence to wait. But as you may know from experience, waiting can be tough. Our world has increasingly conditioned us to expect that what we want should come quickly, easily, and conveniently. There's some tension there - between the place waiting often has in our winning pursuit, and the discomfort that comes with it - that each of us has to wrestle with. The big question for anyone pursuing success isn’t “will you have to wait?” Unfortunately, the answer is probably yes. The big question is, "what will you do while you wait?" Like most challenges in life, this moment of testing offers each of us a choice. While you wait, you can choose to do what losers do. That's the quickest, easiest, and most convenient option. Losers dwell on the unfairness of their situation. They blame and complain. They get jealous and resentful of those who have what it is they want, and quietly (or sometimes, not so quietly) hope those ahead of them fail. Their effort and their attitude diminish as that negative voice in their head convinces them that they're the victim in this situation, and that the best decision they could make is to bail in their moment of adversity. When you have to wait, there's no denying it's harder to do what champions do. While the loser has allowed themselves to turn bitter, the champion is committed to keep getting better. They choose to keep giving their best, to keep learning and improving, and to stay ready for their opportunity to come, which is of course the best formula for seizing it when it does. They continue to support those around them - even those who have what it is they’re waiting to get - because that’s what great teammates do. They choose a winning effort and a winning attitude even in the midst of their struggle. They continue to validate, even while they're waiting, that they are worthy of the success they say they're after. It’s certainly not that champions don’t have or don’t hear that negative voice in their head - the one tempting them to pout, quit, or complain. We all have that voice, and when we find ourselves waiting to get something we want, that voice can be relentless and convincing. But in moments of adversity, champions have developed the unique ability to talk to themselves instead of listening to themselves, to put that negative voice in its place, and to choose a winning response, even even if it's not the quick, easy, or convenient option. I don’t know exactly what it is that you may be waiting for today, but if you’re a competitor pursuing something big and important in life, I bet there is something. Maybe today that negative voice in your head is working to justify that you deserve better, and that stepping out of this fight is the way to go. That is of course one option. But I also want you to clarify today the voice of your inner champion. What is that voice encouraging you to do? I bet it’s telling you to stay in the fight and keep getting better. To be a great teammate, even to those who have what it is you’re waiting to get. To maintain a winning effort and a winning attitude, even in the midst of the struggle. And to validate again today that when your time comes - and I bet it will - that you are worthy of the success you say you're after. -Travis