“The Right Time” Doesn’t Exist
Imperfect Action > Perfect Inaction
Hey - hope you’re afternoon is treating you well.
This week we’re jumping into timing, circumstances, and getting started. I also want to take a moment to say thank you for spending a few minutes of your time reading and reflecting on these ideas and subscribing to Prompted. Your support and engagement are appreciated more than you know. 🙂
Kevin
“The Right Time” Doesn’t Exist
You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
Zig Ziglar
In our efforts to become a bit better each day, there’s only one thing that matters.
It doesn’t matter which worthwhile pursuit we’re chasing; it doesn’t matter how much money we make, how much time we have, what other people think, how skilled we are, or what else is going on in our lives. No matter how hard we try to control all of the variables, the world is completely out of our control and the position we find ourselves in is constantly changing.
The only constant we can rely on is constant change. Instead of fighting against it, we should learn to embrace it.
This leads us back to the one thing that matters in a dynamic world: getting started.
There’s no doubt that when we choose to start something new matters. If we invest our life savings one day before or one day after a stock market crash, the difference in returns can be huge. The same is true with our choices to commit to worthwhile pursuits like registering for a marathon, starting a business, having a kid, beginning a new job, sharing creative work, or just waking up earlier or starting a new book.
But timing only makes a difference if we choose to start. The “right” timing might account for a 10% difference but starting is binary. It’s 0 or 1. Regardless of timing, skill, or knowledge, action produces results, and inaction does not. Worrying about the right conditions or timing to start handcuffs us to the starting line.
There is never a “good time” for something new. Anything worthwhile will be difficult, inconvenient, and scary, but beginning to move in the right direction is the only thing that will move us forward. The stories we tell ourselves about preparation and timing protect us from embarrassment and failure but rob us of progress.
One shaking step forward will always move us farther than thoughtfully deliberating on the starting line.
Prompts
Where have you been waiting for specific circumstances or timing to get started?
What are the downsides to starting at the wrong time?
What would it look like if you started today instead?
Deep Dive
The One Thing - Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
A simple book to break down big goals into actionable first steps and get started.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you next Sunday.
Kevin