Why Wait?
There is never a good time.
I heard this in a conversation on a podcast regarding giving the decision to give up drinking. This woman, who is now two years sober, spoke about the fact that when she decided enough was enough it was right before Christmas, which was closely followed by the speaker’s birthday and then New Year’s. Her conclusion - the time was perfect because there would never be a good time.
Waiting for a “good time” to make a change (big or small) is a false loophole we give ourselves. This magical thinking implies that there will be some stretch of time where there will somehow be no challenges and it will be easy. This is a very common refrain about starting a new eating program, and I heard this all the time in my work at WW. When summer ends, after a trip, after the holidays, next week, once my husband retires.
Trust me when I tell you that if you pick a time to “get started” thinking that you will have no challenges, you are wrong - something always comes up. Real change is uncomfortable, challenging, hard and scary, and that is why we put it off. But, living in that place of fear keeps us stuck, often frustrated, and certainly away from our best lives.
There are real struggles that come up when making personal changes. Resistance from those around us, our own behaviors and patterns, medical issues, child care issues, finances or work. But even in these situations, with creative thinking there is always a way to get started right now. If you are feeling like your struggles are worse than, bigger than, or harder than anyone else’s, I would encourage you to challenge your thoughts. Most of us have no real idea of what other people are going through.
Do you want to be someone who just talks about making changes but never does? Why wait until January to change how you eat? That is three months from now - what is wrong with October 2 (today!) to get started? Instead of spending your precious time plotting about the best time to get started, or worrying about the challenges that may or may not materialize, why not jump right in? I am here to tell you - the water is fine.
