Why Wait?
How many times have you postponed a goal because you thought you weren’t ready? Perhaps you’ve decided to stay in a job, a relationship or a housing situation because you believed the time wasn’t right for a change.
Present Freedom
The Reimagine End of Life organization wants you to rethink this logic. Why Wait was a theme running through their 10-day October festival in San Francisco. The organization’s mission is to encourage open discussion of end of life issues in order to live more fully in the present. Life is uncertain, so why postpone pursuing your dreams? Why wait?
As a counselor/coach who helps others navigate changes, I often see people who have postponed living the life they want. Life’s uncertainty is not the only reason to get moving on your goals. Postponing making a change takes a toll on one’s emotional well-being.
Graceful Exits
I have worked with clients who have stayed in jobs that have zapped their energy for far too long. Just showing up for work day in and day out, year in and year out, has taken Herculean effort. Looking for a new job when you’re depleted and depressed is not recommended. In my own job transitions, I have tried to leave on a high note. One of the tenets of presentations is “leave them wanting more”; similarly, I recommend leaving a job when you have more to give.
If we approached our dreams, wishes, aspirations with the “why wait?” attitude, I suspect many of us would be living the lives we want. Not being ready is a reason or excuse for not taking the plunge. Of course, there are times in our lives when we feel uncomfortable making changes due to external stressors or emotional capacity. When the readiness is postponed for years, however, that excuse becomes a ball and chain keeping us stuck in our ruts.
Dare to Do
Nike tapped into our collective psyches with their motto, Just Do It. Nike was hardly the inventor of such counsel, however. The Roman lyric poet, Horace, is credited with saying, “Don’t think, just do.” And the Torah, the written teachings of the Jews from the Talmudic period, has a passage that has been translated as suggesting, “Do first, understand later.” Although the Torah may be referring specifically to performing good deeds, my interpretation of these ancient and modern maxims is, “Why Wait”?