Don't Wait to do What You Can Now

Life right now seems to be at a really busy time for a lot of people. Spring breaks, the wind-down of classes, decluttering and cleaning, or just pondering about the upcoming summer and future as a whole can make April feel like a pretty hectic month. Along with the daily to-do lists people find themselves having, there's usually also an influx of big goals and dreams just waiting to be accomplished as the sunnier weather promises hope and productivity. One of the most common phrases I've heard during this busy time (from others and myself) is something along the lines of: "I'll finally get to do ____ once things settle down."

But of course, it can feel like life never actually settles down. And that elusive 'finally' seems to stay forever out of reach.

The excuses for why you're not working on achieving your goal start to become an automatic response. When asked when you're going to start that project you've talked about, you stop hesitating before saying "I've just been so busy with x,y, and z that I haven't had any time!" Eventually it can start to feel like that faraway perfect day when you can 'finally start' your dream is less of a reality and more of some vague, murky idea you don't actually expect to reach.

And while it's true that balancing life's business is all about priorities and time management, there is a big difference between focusing on the necessary things and just straight up procrastinating.

I've had to learn this lesson a lot in my life, but it never hit as hard as it did during my first year out of college. All throughout my four semesters of busy, undergrad life, I talked about the dreams and plans I had waiting for me after college. After I stopped having homework, club meetings, campus events, etc., I'd finally have time for the things I wanted to do!

Or so I thought.

Because now I am well into my first year as 'an official adult' and have realized that-- surprise, surprise--- I am just as busy as I was in college (if not more so).

Now, I had two options during this realization. I could either lament about all the 'free time' I had wasted in college and hope that maybe, someday I would have a lighter schedule OR I could learn from my mistakes and stop putting off the work for things I wanted to do.

If you're like me, then you may have realized that part of your procrastination stems from your perfectionism. It could be on a subconscious level, but it's the fear that what you're working on won't work out or be successful, and that leads you to staying stuck and unmoving. And that's a bad place to be in.

You'll be safe in your comfort zone without fear of failing, sure! But you also won't get the chance to grow, make mistakes, and just experience life.

So throw off the excuses for why now is not the right time. Because this is the real world and honestly, the real world is super messy-- there will never be a 'right time'.

We can't predict the future or know what we're going to face down the road (only God can do that). And while that can be scary, it should also motivate you to get started on living your life and chasing after your dreams now. There's no guarantee about what our tomorrow will look like, so today's as good as any day to get to work!

Love y'all!