Start now? Or should you wait?
I was so triggered during my first consultation call with my coach, I said no. Well, first I told her I had to think about it. But I knew when we got off the phone: I was a hell no. I did not feel ready for the kind of transformation she was talking about. I sheepishly emailed her a day later and said no. I told myself I’d wait until I had the money saved and felt ready.
It’s gotten me thinking about what happens when we choose to wait for transformation and growth.
I know I’m not the only one who's decided to wait. I get messages all the time from people who want to work with me when they’ve got the money saved, when they’re done with therapy, or when they feel ready to go for it. But for all sorts of different reasons, they’re not ready now.
If you keep choosing to wait, waiting will always feel like the right option.
The problem is: if you keep choosing to wait, waiting will always feel like the right option. Every time you choose to wait, you’re reinforcing subconscious beliefs like…
I don’t have enough money
I don’t have enough time
I’m not good enough yet
Everybody is going to laugh at me
I shouldn’t spend money on this
I probably won’t make my money back
I won’t be good at this
I don’t know what to do
It’s irresponsible to invest in myself
It’s selfish to use this money on me
It probably wouldn’t work out anyway
The longer you wait, the more these thoughts just sound like the truth. You’ll start to repeat them like you’re reporting the weather: “The high today is 55, there’s a chance of rain, and I’m not good enough yet to start, I’m going to wait to start until I have more experience.”
Here are some thoughts you could choose to reinforce by not waiting:
I can do this
I can figure this out
I want this
The only way I fail is if I quit
I’m doing this
I’m ready
It’s time to put myself and my work first
If I want things to change, I’m the one who has to change them
If this is possible for other people, it’s possible for me, too
This is my time
The lie we tell ourselves when we decide to wait is that it will be easier someday to start.
It won’t be. Waiting always makes it harder. Waiting always increases doubt, fear, and insecurity. It is harder to stand by the pool, waiting to jump in, dipping just one toe in at a time than it is to jump in, be cold, and then acclimate.
The only way to feel more confident is to start.
You get to decide, today, with this new awareness. Are you going to do this the hard way? Or are you going to start today? Waiting is hard. Go do what you love, today. You know one thing you could do. Go do it.