By Daniel Day
Have you ever noticed how much harder fishing is when you can see the fish? The other day, I stood on a dock at Lake Jocassee with my three kiddos and watched as they attempted to catch bluegill. My seven-year-old is patient. Extremely patient. like win-a-staring-contest-with-a-King-Cobra patient. Not only did he catch a blue gill, but he also caught a smallmouth bass. My five-year-old daughter, however, is not patient. She pulled the line up and down and up and down.
“Daddy, did I catch something yet?” She asked over and over again as she pulled the hook out of the water to check the bait.
“Just wait, baby!” I responded, “It takes a few minutes.”
She could see the fish, which made it more difficult. As soon as anything approached her hook it was out of the water before the fish had a chance to smell the bait. Eventually, I had to hold the line so she couldn’t pull it up, and guess what? She caught a fish. And then she caught another fish. Why? Because she—with a little help from me—let the bait do the work.
Oftentimes, anglers like myself struggle to let the bait or lure do the work for us. As soon as a nibble floods our bodies with adrenaline, we want to jerk the line and set the hook. Good anglers, however, are patient, even after receiving that first nibble. They wait for a full hit to attempt the catch.
Hidden in this story is not only good fishing advice, but also good advice for finding the right job, or the right spouse, or closing a sale. We live in a culture where we’re taught to make things happen on our own. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Pick yourself up by your bootstraps?” Maybe you’re more familiar with, “Git r dun” (which is so early 2000s). What’s the message? Don’t let the lure do the work, take success into your own hands. Although there are times when it’s necessary to seize a moment, more often than not, life offers opportunities to be patient. The problem? Americans are terrible at being patient! We want everything to work out yesterday.
Take job hunting as an example. Most of us want to interview for a job and then get an offer immediately. I take that back—most of us want an HR recruiter representing the perfect job to find us on LinkedIn, call us and give us an offer we can’t refuse. But that’s not how it works. The best someone can do is create an excellent resume and cover letter, ask to drop off a resume in person and look for an opportunity to shake hands with the HR recruiter. But that’s about it. It’s a lot like throwing a lure and then waiting for a bite. Sure, you can—and should—ask if there’s a time to follow up, and it’s a good idea to follow up at least once after about a week or so, but it’s mostly a waiting game. You have to let your resume do the work. If not, you may end up annoying an HR recruiter by following up too many times.
This happened recently: I was hiring a new manager at Asheville’s Fun Depot, and one person followed up with me so many times that I stopped answering his phone calls. I actually thought he would be a good candidate, but his follow-up made him look desperate. His desperation caused him to try so hard to set the hook that he missed the job altogether.
And patience doesn’t just apply to job searching. Think of closing a deal. It’s important to throw the lure—to describe how great the product is as well as the benefits of buying the product from you—but a good salesman also creates longing. If you try to set the hook too early, you risk pushing away the potential buyer.
I know people who have bought the wrong houses, pushed away potential clients and ruined relationships with potential spouses, out of desperation. They couldn’t wait. I understand! There have been times in my life where desperation has caused me to make mistakes too. But according to a friend of mine, “wise people don’t do desperate things.” They let the lure do the work for them, and they wait for the right opportunity to come along.
Desperate situations make it really hard to wait. It’s hard to wait on God. It’s hard to wait on other people. And it’s hard to wait on right timing. But trying to make things happen can sometimes hurt more than help our chances. So, in whatever situation you’re facing, go ahead and throw the lure. Go ahead and do your part. But then it’s time to wait. Be patient and let the lure do the work.
Daniel Ryan Day is the author of two books, including his most recent work: Intentional Christian (now available). He’s also the COO of Cascades Mountain Resort, Old Orchard Tavern and Asheville’s Fun Depot. Daniel lives in Fairview, NC with his wife and three kiddos. Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram or at intentionalchristianity.com.