The Place to Do the Work, to Live the Good Life, is Here

It’s time to stop waiting at the bus-stop

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

“When” is a dangerous word.

It shows up a lot in therapy. But it’s omni-present in life too.

When I get past this (insert name of current crisis); when I feel more confident, when I lose weight/get fitter, when I’m older, when I’m more qualified, when I have more time/money/support.

When the time is right, I’ll launch. Watch me. I’ll blaze a trail.

But will you?

Are you stuck in “when” mode?

There are many reasons why we slip into “when” mode: we’re busy, exhausted, stressed, we’re confused by choice, we’re afraid (of failure, success, criticism, uncertainty). The time just isn’t quite right.

We know we want things to be different; we tell ourselves we’ll implode if we’re still in the same position in a year’s time but, still, we go with the flow. We wait.

I get it. Life is overwhelming at times, and sometimes it truly isn’t the right time to ring the changes. But when the heavy use of delay tactics turns you into “when” person — a chronic procrastinator — it’s time to pay attention.