In her coaching business my good friend Kate Duffy constantly held the phrase “If not now, when?” as her call to her clients, what a great challenge.
Are you putting up with stuff waiting for the right moment to solve or change it? Have you got intentions that you haven’t progressed that, because they are not urgent, they sit in the background, waiting? Waiting until the ideal time?
Compound these questions further, are you holding back in some way, your happiness, enjoyment, your full throttle effort, until… In short have you suspended the full you, until ‘when’ happens.
‘When’ is always over there, it is a cute little word. It can trick us into accepting our current situation, and on the basis that it will (at some point, in a non-defined future) be solved. It goes into our mental pending tray, ready to remind and irritate us, everyday. It becomes an invisible excuse preventing you from taking inspired action in the direction of your goals, whatever they may be.
Kate’s challenge ‘If not now, when’ can be levelled at all of the areas you are stalling on. It doesn’t necessarily mean you take action on them all, now. It simply means you examine the blockage, and check whether it is important enough to move on now. If it’s not, stop moaning.
From time to time I catch myself ‘suffering’ situations, and I can palpably feel gloom approaching. Most times I am awake to this and take action early to shift my thinking. Here’s my process which you can experiment with this week (don’t just think the answers, write them down, or ask someone to ask you the questions in person):
- What doesn’t feel good, or right?
- What am I putting up with, or seems to be dragging, difficult or problematic right now?
- What am I waiting for? (this is a real examination of factors or circumstances I am telling myself to come true in order to take positive action)
- Even if they were true what steps could I take today to shift direction?
- What would it feel like to know that ‘when’ is now?
Good luck and make your change, if not now, when?