wait for your ship to come in meaning?

Question

What is the meaning of "to wait for your ship to come in" idiom?

Answer 1

Gerund Form of the Idiom:

Waiting for your ship to come in can sometimes prove fruitless.
 

Answer 2

Idiom Usage:

Don't just wait for your ship to come in.  Do something!
 

Answer 3

Idiom Scenario 2:

Two friends are talking ...

Friend 1:  "Have you heard about this new company that I invested in?"
Friend 2:  "No.  What's the company going to do?"
Friend 1:  "They're developing a bionic limb system."
Friend 2:  "Sounds interesting.  How long will it be before the company can go into production?"
Friend  1:  "Years and years.  They have a prototype but it will take a long time to develop it for the market."
Friend 2:  "Sounds like you could make a lot of money.  I guess you'll just have to sit and wait for your ship to come in."

Answer 4

Idiom Scenario 1:

Two parents are talking about their son, Tony ...

Mom:  "I'm worried about Tony."
Dad:  "He seems to be stuck in a rut.  He's twenty-five years old and works at a fast food restaurant.  He spends his free time playing video games and partying with his friends."
Mom:  "He doesn't seem to understand that a person needs to work hard and study to be successful in life."
Dad:  "He just sits and waits for his ship to come in."

Answer 5

Idiom Definition:

"to wait for your ship to come in"

to passively wait and expect opportunities to come to you without actively doing something to bring success to your life
 
to wait for a long term investment or gamble, which a person has no control over after the investment has been made, to become successful and thereby make the person rich
 

Synonyms: abstracted, apathetic, assume, count on, daydreaming, dreamy, halfhearted, figure, hope, idle, inert, languid, lazy, moony, passive, suppose