A Break in the Weather: The Right Time Is Now

Life Coaching Tip: Is there something you’ve been thinking about doing, but you keep waiting for the “right” time? How long have you been thinking about it?  What is it costing you to continue to wait? You only have this one precious life, my friend. What if it’s the perfect time NOW?

_____________________

The weather has been warmer than usual in the Cleveland area this January, but it has also been wet. In fact, as I write this, it has been raining for the past three days.

It was coming down in buckets yesterday morning when I first woke up. Since I was working from home, I had the luxury of putting off my walk a bit in hopes that there would be a break in the weather.

I typically don’t do this because I don’t like to mess with my habits, but who walks in a downpour, right?

Well, about an hour later, the rain started to let up and the sun partially lit up the sky. Awesome! I’m so glad I waited! I thought, as I headed out the door.

The sun fully lit up the sky as I drove to the park which is only about four miles from my house. However, as I got closer, the sky began to get dark again and it started to drizzle.

No big deal, I thought. It’s just light rain.

As I parked my car and began my walk, the drizzle turned into a steady shower. I’m sure you may know where this is going next, but if not, I’ll take away the suspense . . . .

About a mile into my walk, the sky opened, and I got soaked!

The air wasn’t cold, and it wasn’t awful, so I decided to make the best of it. There wasn’t anything I could do about it anyhow, right?

I enjoyed the sound of the rain coming down through the trees as I trudged on. It was really very peaceful. Of course, I was the only one walking in the park at that time, because umm . . . well, you know!

The view of the lake from the top of the bluff was amazing that morning. The waves were fierce and sounded like a freight train. I love looking out over the lake when it is stormy because it’s the best time to see bald eagles fishing in the turbulent waters. This morning was no exception, and I spotted three eagles soaring over the lake hunting for their breakfast.

I was drenched when I finally reached my car in the empty parking lot, and I was giggling.

I could hear my late-mother’s voice saying, “Tracy, even chickens know to get out of the rain,” and this cracked me up. I felt invigorated as I drove home, and I was glad that I hadn’t forfeited my routine that morning.

Later, when I thought about my mid-morning walk in the rain, I realized that had I initially left the house when I first woke up, I would have had a drier, partially sunny walk.

It also occurred to me that whenever I try to time my walks according to the weather, it works out for me about 50 percent of the time. Therefore, I’ve decided that those odds aren’t great, and so I’m just going to go when it works best for my schedule and not worry about the weather next time.

I could hear my mom’s voice in my head again, approving of this decision. She would often say, referring to just about everything: “If you wait for the right time, you’re never going to do it.”

This is such sage advice.

Is there something you’ve been thinking about doing but keep waiting for the “right time”?

How long have you been thinking about it? Has it been days, weeks, or years?

What is it costing you to continue to wait?

What if there is no “right” or “wrong” time? What if the perfect time is NOW?

My mama was wise. She knew that our human minds want to keep us in our comfort zone, and so we will always come up with reasons why the timing is not “right.”

If she were here, she would remind you that you only have this one precious life!

What is worse, moving ahead before things are “perfect” or not moving ahead at all?

When I think about my walk in the rain this morning, I know that there was no “right” time to go. I would certainly have enjoyed myself if it were sunny, but I also had a lot of fun in the rain.

It would have been a shame though if I had missed my walk altogether. What if I had waited for a break in the weather and it didn’t come?

Don’t make that mistake.

Don’t wait for the “perfect” time to act.

My friend, the perfect time is NOW!