Now is the Time You're Waiting For

Many of us have been waiting for the right moment. The right moment to… ask the boss for a raise; find a job that’s more satisfying; pitch your new product idea; propose; start writing your book; launch your own blog; suggest that better way of doing things.

So we wait. We wait until the time is right.

Until after the newly re-org’d leadership is more settled. Until after your kids are older. Until you get the promotion. Until it feels like you’re not in the middle of things.

But the reality is… you and everyone else will always be in the middle of things. Life doesn’t have a pause button. And if you wait for the current swirl to calm, it’ll be replaced by swirl – going the other direction!

Stop waiting for the “perfect moment” and make that moment now.

In his book, Coaching the Artist Within, Eric Maisel’s dedicates a chapter on creating “in the middle of things.”

“You must be able to create in the middle of things, or else you will not create. You must learn to take whatever practical and psychological actions are necessary to combat the anti-creating forces that surround you and live within you.”

He mentions how some have determined to accomplish things during even the most severe crises. “But for most of us even ordinary, everyday crises stop us in our tracks.”

“We only possess Newton’s theory about planetary motion and calculus because, terrified by the plague, he fled college and returned home to ride out the Black Death and to incubate his theories. Most of his fellow students died like flies.”

Still think conditions are rough for you?

“The Russian composer Shostakovich faced the collapse of his country, invasion by the Nazis, the horrors of Stalin, and death by the millions and composed three war symphonies. Not only did he compose them, he butted heads with Stalin, who demanded that he compose heroic, triumphant music.

Shostakovich ignored Stalin, rounded up starving musicians, found instruments, put together full concerts attended by desperate souls dressed in rags, and fought a personal fight to keep up the spirits of his compatriots.”

While upper management can be pretty harsh at times, chance are… you probably aren’t laboring under an oppressive regime.

“If you wait for a better time… better than this very moment, if you wait until you feel settled, divinely inspired, perfectly centered, unburdened of your usual worries, or free of your own skin, forget about it. You will be waiting tomorrow and the next day, wondering why you never managed to begin, wondering how you did such an excellent job of disappointing yourself.”

That last sentence sounds gloomy. More than that it’s incredibly motivating. You are in control. There is nothing more or less stopping you than it did last week or it will from a year from now. It’s all in your control, kiddo.

When you finish this sentence, close your web browser and take your first step against the “anti-creating forces.” Make a list, draft a plan, jot your pitch notes, post your resume…Anything that’s a first step to making that change happen.

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Paul Williams is a professional problem solver at Idea Sandbox. He can help you create remarkable ideas to grow your business. You may read more at his website and find him Twittering as @IdeaSandbox.