This morning when I woke up at 4.30 am, there was a heavy downpour, and the temptation to remain cuddled up in bed was quite strong. However, I recalled what Marcus Aurelius said thousands of years ago:

“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”

So, I quickly jumped out of bed and proceeded with my typical morning routine. I did a quick 20-minute aerobic exercise, jumped into a cold shower, dressed up, grabbed my morning coffee, and drove to work while it was still heavily raining. Typically, in the car, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts about any interesting subject. While driving, I reflected on this idea of not waiting for the rain to stop and how it may apply to many life situations.

Many times, we wait for the rain to stop before pursuing our dreams. We want things to be perfect before we start a business or investment. We want to make a lot of money before we find happiness. We are afraid to step into the unknown before things are clear.

But like Marcus Aurelius says, we have to go to work, irrespective of the rain or not. The things we have to do are not going to wait for us. We were created with a divine mission to accomplish in our intermittent lives. This means we can’t wait for the rain to stop before pursuing that which we were born to do.

Acting in the rain can be quite profitable because your competition is waiting for the rain to stop. There are few cars on the road when you drive in the rain. This means you can harness several opportunities while everyone else is waiting for better conditions. Plus, you avoid all the traffic jams when the rain eventually stops, and everyone rushes onto the roads. The rain is symbolic and represents all external circumstances beyond your control. The rain could be harsh economic conditions. The rain could be terrible weather or changing policies. But whatever the rain represents, we can’t wait for it to stop. We have to be up and going.

The journey in the rain will definitely be slower and harder. Visibility will be impaired, and the risk of driving in the rain will be high. Random obstacles may block the road, necessitating a change in route. Nonetheless, we have to keep moving and rush to do what we were born to do because we were not created to cuddle in our warm blankets.

So don’t wait for the storm of your life to pass; instead, learn to dance in the rain!