There's a timeless saying that floats around – "I'll do it when the time is right." We're all guilty of it, pushing something off until tomorrow, next week, or even next year. The notion of waiting for the right time, or the perfect conditions, is often a trap. In this blog post, I'm going to argue that if you know what you should be doing, if you've got a plan, don't wait around - take action now.
The Illusion of the "Perfect Time"
Let me tell you about a personal incident that happened a couple of years back. I'd always dreamt of starting my own podcast. But I kept telling myself, "I'll start when I have the right equipment, the right guests, the right topics... the right time." Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. I woke up one day, realizing I was stuck in the same spot I was when I first had the idea.
The truth is, the perfect time is a mirage. It's always just out of reach, shimmering on the horizon, but you'll never get to it because it simply doesn't exist.
Retrospective Right Time
Looking back at my podcast dream, it's clear to me that any moment could have been the 'right time'. The day I thought of the idea, a week later, or even a month later. But I didn't see it back then because I was too caught up in the pursuit of perfection, waiting for a moment that never came.
You see, that's the thing about taking action – retrospectively, the moment you decide to act always appears to be the right time. After all, that's when things started happening.
Conditions Will Never Be Perfect
A cold hard truth we all need to accept is this: conditions will never be perfect. There will always be some issue, some hindrance, or some problem that will try to delay you. The weather won't cooperate, the market might be down, the kids will be noisy, or a thousand other possible obstructions.
I had a friend who kept waiting for the perfect conditions to start running. She wanted the weather to be just right, the shoes to be super comfy, and her schedule to magically clear up. Needless to say, she didn't go running that year. If she'd started when she first had the idea, who knows where she could be now?
The Power of Now
There's a power to now, a strength in immediacy that can't be denied. The sooner you start, the better. Today, not tomorrow, is when you should start. Because the more you wait, the more the pressure builds up, and the more daunting the task becomes.
When I finally started my podcast, it was far from perfect. The audio was dodgy, I was stuttering and the topics were all over the place. But I started. And with each episode, it got better. Because I was doing it, learning, improving. If I had waited for the 'right time', I might still be waiting.
So, my advice to you is this: if you have a plan, if you know what you should be doing, take action. Don't wait around for the conditions to be perfect or the time to be right. Because if you look back, you'll always have the impression you acted at the right time. The moment is now. Embrace it.
-William
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