This might be as ready as you’ll ever be

We love the idea of the “right time”, don’t we? It’s like the magical moment when the universe sends us a sign saying “Now is your moment, babe. Do it!” We hold off from starting that business, learning a new cool hobby, going back to school to finish our degree, taking that dream trip – we’re all waiting for that mythical green light. But more often that not, the “right time” is just a delay wrapped in a cloak of perfectionism.

As a recovering procrastinator, I know this dance all too well. It took therapy and a whole lot of self-reflection to understand why I fell into this cycle of putting things off. Sometimes it was financial reasons (valid!), but it turns out my procrastination wasn’t laziness, it was fear. Fear of failing. Fear of not being good enough. Fear that what I created wouldn’t measure up, so why even start? This was a way my nervous system protected me. Perfectionism is a sneaky saboteur, it has me convinced that if I couldn’t do something perfectly the first time, it wasn’t worth doing at all. Let me tell you…unpacking that mindset was a journey.

Sometimes we do need to wait. Life throws hard, non-negotiable things at us like health issues, grief, burnout, caregiving. Some chapters are so heavy they demand we pause.

Resting is not the same as giving up.

But often, that “waiting” phase has no real reason behind it. We say we’re waiting, but we haven’t actually made a decision. The truth is, NOT taking a step is a decision. Inaction is a response. It says not now, and sometimes that moment slips away.

There are pros and cons to waiting, sure. Pros: more time to plan, less chaos, a chance to gather energy. Cons? Well, momentum fades. Confidence wanes. And the longer we wait, the scarier that first step feels. We build up in our heads until it feels like a giant looming behind our every step, when really all we needed to do was start small. A 10-minute brainstorm, a quick email, a walk around the block to clear our heads.

Progress never demands perfection, just presence.

So if you’re like me, finishing your degree later in life, or you’ve been sitting on an idea, a dream, or even a to-do list that keeps haunting you, consider this a gentle nudge. You don’t have to go full steam ahead. You just have to start.

Start messy. Start afraid. Start later. Start tired. But start. There is no perfect moment, only the one you create by saying “I can f*cking do this!”

And if life has knocked you off track, if you’ve had to hit pause for very real, very valid reasons, don’t think you’ve missed your chance. Just go back where you left off. The door didn’t close. You still got the key!