Why do we always think there will be a ‘right time’?
I will always be an advocate for going after what you want in life. After all, isn’t that the whole point?
For as long as I can remember, once my mind is made up, that’s it. There’s no ifs or buts. And whilst I might go back and forth a couple of times and listen to some well-meaning advice — I always come back to my gut decision, no matter how uncertain the outcome may be.
I’m the kind of person that people roll their eyes at — in a light-hearted kind of way — when they listen to the next project or life plan I’m about to tackle.
As soon as I graduated from University, instead of knuckling down and finding a decent graduate job, I decided to take some time out to travel for a few months.
Everyone else who passed their Law Degree went out to find a Training Contract. Strike whilst the iron is hot and all that. But I knew at that moment in time I wanted an adventure – and nothing else.
I’d worry about finding a job later.
Unfortunately funds did not allow me to travel any longer than three months and so I returned to the City and tried to start a life I thought was planned for me.
I rented a flat with my then boyfriend and tested the waters with a few jobs until I found one I was happy with. It was less smoother than this but that’s the general gist.
And that should have been it.
Only it wasn’t.
Listen to your gut
I got those itchy feet again.
My eyes lit up at the thought of another adventure as I Googled ‘seasons abroad’ and before I knew it, I had handed my notice in on both the job and flat and was on a plane to Greece.
Everyone thought I was mad. What the bloody hell would I do this time? A season abroad is exactly that — a season.
But I wasn’t bothered. This was what I wanted to do, and there would never be a ‘right time’ to up and leave a well-paid job, a home, and friends and family.
Fast forward to now, six years later, and I’m married with two cats and a mortgage.
I knew when I reconnected with my husband, whom I’d known fleetingly before, that he was ‘the one.’ I probably would have married him there and then but he was a little more cautious than me.
He’s painfully watched me bounce between jobs the entire time we’ve been together. But for one thing’s for sure — we’ve never been bored.
So he wasn’t surprised when I decided to make the leap into the freelance world a little over a year ago.
Yet again, would never be a ‘right time’ to do that. We had bills to pay and fluffy mouths to feed, but I just had to go for it.
After all – if you don’t try you’ll never know.
When my Dad passed away a few years ago, it was yet another stark reminder to always live life to the fullest.
There’s no second chances. This is all we have. And whilst we may make countless mistakes along the way, it’s all one big learning curve.
I never have regrets. Everything we do leads us onto the path we’re walking on today, and we can change that path at any time we choose. It’s all in our hands.
I don’t think I can shout it from the rooftops any louder if I tried.
Stop waiting for the perfect moment
It will never come.
Stop being scared to make the wrong decision or make a mistake.
Imagine if when were little, we never tried to take our first step. What did we do? We tried to stand up. We fell. We got back up. We fell again. We got back up again. And so it went on until we took our first steps.
Life isn’t supposed to be plain sailing. It’s a roller-coaster, a journey, and a constant lesson.
Stop shielding yourself from living a life you never imagined would be possible. It’s out there – you’ve just got to find it.
The time is now
Start now.
You will always have an excuse not to.
And there will always be someone who tells you it’s not a good idea.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have it all figured out yet. Even if you had it all planned out down to a tee, life is full of the unexpected and there will always be something that catches us off guard.
Nothing is certain. Nothing is guaranteed.
You’ve just got to learn to roll with the punches and keep following your passion in life — that fire in your belly that makes you feel like anything is possible.
Because the truth is, it is. You’ve just got to be brave enough to start.
Stop waiting for the perfect day or the perfect moment…Take THIS day, THIS moment, and lead it to perfection.”
Steve Maraboli
