There’s a few things in life that really bother me— long lines, big crowds, and slow walkers. But none is more bothersome than this quote: “Good things come to those who wait.”

False.

This quote is everywhere. I constantly see it on Pinterest, as captions on Instagram pictures, and painted on signs for decoration. I’ve even seen it plastered on clothing and accessories.

It is often spoken to impatient people (such as myself) to inspire patience. But this quote does not represent patience. Patience is something that is real and it can be difficult. This quote represents the act of simply waiting.

Being patient is a good thing. It is also a thing that many of us, myself included, need to work on. However, I believe in active patience.

Active patience is yes, having to wait and take things slow, but it is not simply waiting and doing nothing. When being actively patient, you put yourself in a situation that allows for opportunities by doing things.

Waiting is the complete opposite of being actively patient.

Waiting is defined as “the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.” To me, this doesn't sound productive. Why would I waste my time doing nothing, and simply hoping that something wonderful happens?

This doesn’t allow us to get anything done.

It makes much more sense to go out and do.

It is not enough to simply sit around and “wait.” Nothing happens, nothing changes, and contrary to popular belief, good things probably aren’t going to happen. Life changing opportunities do not arise from sitting on your bed, doing nothing.

That’s not how life works.

In order to get good things in life, we must be active. We must take chances, create connections, and simply do. We are in charge of creating our opportunities. It doesn’t make sense to believe that these things are magically going to drop into our laps without any effort or action.

Quite possibly, while you are working towards some type of goal and trying to obtain the good, you will stumble into something else that makes you happy as well. While trying to achieve something, the time you are spending being active instead of waiting is time well spent. And most likely, you’ll reach the “good” much more quickly than you would have if you would have spent the time passively waiting.

Instead of waiting, we must continue to try and put effort into our lives in order to get the good things we desire.

Good things don’t come to those who wait. Good things come to those who try.