Some people jump headlong into action without a lot of deliberation or even consideration of the ins and outs, pros and cons.

 

The second group is comprised of those folks who make even big decisions fairly easily, but only after due deliberation and what I would call a "normal" amount of procrastination and fretting.

 

The people I really want to talk to are the folks who regularly and predictably put off making decisions and getting into action until "the time is right."  The stars must line up ... things have to be just so ... or it's a "no go."   

 

Guess how often the time is just right?  Not very often.

 

And guess what the consequences of waiting are?  Decisions don't get made in a timely fashion.  And rather than being in action, these folks are shifted into neutral, idling on the sidelines.

 

And what are the consequences of that?  Waiting tends to lead to more waiting.  There's no impulse, no drive, no forward momentum, not much accomplishment, not much learning, adaptation, course correction, and growth.  Not much satisfaction or sense of fulfillment either. 

 

But at least there's less stress, right?  Well maybe in the sense that you aren't under the immediate pressure that comes from possibly "getting it wrong" or having to perform.  But come on, how does it feel to put things off from a longer-term perspective?  It's super stressful.  It gnaws at you.

 

So, while you don't want to leap before you look, there's really no benefit from making a habit of waiting, except the very transitory benefit of avoiding the stress that comes from being "in the game" or playing a bigger game.

 

The unspoken presumption of those who wait till the time is right is that they will gain some advantage by doing so.  What do you think?  Looked at logically as a success principle in business ... or in life for that matter ... does it hold up that being super-careful and deliberate to the point of paralysis works to one's advantage in getting what one wants?

 

Are the history books full of the names of business innovators and entrepreneurs who watched and waited or those who seized the moment and took a chance? 

 

An objective analysis would tell you very quickly and definitively that a bias for action is a good thing and a critical element in being successful.  That's one of the main messages you get from reading In Search Of Excellence, Tom Peters' and Bob Waterman's seminal book from 1982 that looked at what makes great companies stand out from the pack.

 

Look, I can understand if you're overwhelmed with other responsibilities, you don't want to take on new ones.  Or if you're short on cash flow, you don't want to spend a lot of money in pursuit of your long-term goals right now.  That's not what I'm talking about. 

 

Sometimes you say, "no" to something at that time because it simply isn't prudent to say, "yes" at that time.  That's fine, even though sometimes ya gotta make your move even when it might not seem to be all that prudent, like not waiting to have a baby or saying yes to a fantastic business opportunity you're really not prepared for.  In my case, that was taking a deep breath and agreeing to speak in public on subjects I felt I wasn't the be-all-and-end-all subject matter expert on.

 

What I'm talking about is not moving forward because of fear and saying "no" at that time and practically every time, as a way of life, because it scares you to say "yes."

 

Believing that waiting for an auspicious moment will tip the scales in your favor is nothing short of superstition, like the ancient Greeks consulting the Oracle at Delphi to find out whether the time was right to take action or not.  There's nothing to suggest that being hyper-cautious as a strategy for living will get you what you want.

 

And yet, folks who like to wait till the time is right almost always also carry the irrational belief that somehow "things will work out."  I hate to pop your balloon, but don't count on it.  About all you can count on is growing older before you know it. 

 

But what if being safe and secure is your primary objective?  Ironically, in the long run, caution is the not the key to achieving security.  Creating your own world is. 

 

And you only create your own world by being in the game ... not by living in fear of the unknown.

 

 

Warmest Regards,
Barbara