We’ve all been in that place, that dark dank place, thinking, when should I start this project? Well I’ll answer that for you; the time is NOW.
So many of us wait for the “right time” to start something: maybe when work gets less stressful, maybe at the start of the new year, maybe when I’m finished school. You see, that’s why dreams don’t become a reality; we’re all chronic procrastinators. Waiting for the right time is a silly excuse of running away from working a little harder now, and sadly, life does not get any easier, and time will never be your friend.
I’ll briefly give you two common scenarios:
What will happen to that dream of starting your own company if you get laid off? Perhaps you will start it then, but isn’t it smarter to work on it on a tiny scale and slowly get yourself established while you’re working? What if the business flops? What if the market just wasn’t ready yet? If you planned it beforehand, maybe you would have known that the market needed “priming”, especially if you’re coming out with something completely new to your target. You will have no job to pay your bills, and you’ll be back at square one; then what? Start a new job, and wait for the right time again?
What if your girlfriend or wife unexpectedly becomes pregnant? We all know that new kids and new startups, in many cases, don’t go well together. You’ll have serious bills: milk, diapers, baby clothes, and not to mention if you’re interested in private delivery options. Like kids, startups take capital too. So do you think you’ll have the money AND the time to do both at the same time? Unless you’re Superman/woman, I don’t know how you’re going to be CEO of a new startup, which takes all your time, AND be a new mother/father. I know that I can’t; that’s why there is something called maternity/paternity leave.
When you start something, you need to dedicate yourself to it for a timeframe for it to become successful. Throw out procrastination, and get to work. If you’re working, then dedicate every other waking moment to working on that project. Set a deadline to finish planning and begin the launch phase. Map your desired milestones. You get go from you to Bill Gates or Richard Branson overnight; it take work, passion, dedication and commitment.
The point is, why wait? This is the same reason I naturally hate New Year resolutions, why wait for another year to do something you can start today? If you get the ball rolling, at least it’s rolling. You’re making some steps towards your desired end-point instead of standing just before the start line, and wondering when is the right time to start walking.
Live like you have no tomorrow.
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Until next time, be good.
Cheers.
