When is the best time to act? The good news is that there are two days when you can do nothing: Tomorrow and Yesterday.
While the past shapes our present, and our present lays the foundation of our future, the truth is that the only time that exists is NOW. Life is happening at this exact moment. There’s no longer anything before — only recollection. As one of my friends wisely said, “Your past is what you choose to remember.” And our future is never guaranteed.
Yes, we can plan things and do our best to prepare for the next day, year, or decade. But frankly speaking, you never know what will happen, if anything, even in an hour’s time. That’s why it’s NOW — the time to act upon all your inspirational impulses. When you’re in the right state, when you’re full of adrenaline pushing you forward and excitement about a new endeavour — take the first step! Even if it proves to be not a venture to pursue — you’ll never find out until you’ve actually tried.
Curious Creature
Remember, mistakes shape our experiences, and our experiences create our life. However, regret is something that’s difficult to shake, and that’s what often turns us into prisoners of our pasts. And there’s no mistake more painful than the regret of never trying. Our brain is a curious creature that can nudge you with that “What if” for a while. “What if I tried?” “What if it’d have worked out.”
The Enemy of Progress
However, our ancient brain is equally extremely protective. To prevent you from the pain of disappointment, it’ll come up with all the convincing arguments why you should withhold acting upon something. That’s why when you want to do something — act on an available opportunity immediately, utilising your state of excitement.
Should you procrastinate just a little bit — before you notice, life will get in the way while your brain will keep coming up with all the convincing: “You can prepare better,” “If it’s meant to be—it’ll happen,” and so on.
The thing is, there’s never a perfect moment. Perfection, in fact, is the biggest enemy of progress. Because the only perfect is dead—there’s nothing beyond.
Think of It…
Imagine two people. One is extremely talented, graduated with distinction, and plans things in advance, ensuring to minimise the risks. And there’s another one, an ordinary fella. Not very gifted, and a little bit bold. While the first one is planning, the second one is already deep in the ocean, swirled by adventure, despite the risk, figuring out how to swim and get along with the tide. Yes, the second one might be more adventurous and a risk-taker, yet, no matter the natural talent, guess who’ll be ahead of the game a year later?
It’s us who determine what’s meant to be, and only by acting upon our bold impulses can we accelerate our journey to reach the momentum that’ll help us spin faster.
When It’s Right to Postpone
Sure, jumping boldly into a completely unknown territory isn’t always wise. Sometimes, it’s simply stupid. You don’t want to be there either because there’s nothing more discouraging and off-putting than constant and especially expensive failures. Risk should be calculated.
Yet, the calculation of that risk and the assessment of a project are practical steps that shouldn’t be delayed by a moment. That’s to determine whether what you have is truly an opportunity or a mirage of a non-existent prospect. It’s an action that figures that out. However, that action takes a first step.
Don’t postpone it unless you want to set yourself up for a Delayed Life that is full of illusions and never-materialising hopes. Remember, there’s only one time and it is NOW.
