Waiting for the right conditions before changing?
“We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness: it is always urgent, ‘here and now,’ without any postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank.” ― Jose Ortegay Y. Gasset
Are you waiting for conditions to change before you make a move towards that big - or little! - goal or dream?
What’s stopping you from making moves in a direction that brings you joy? No sleep? No time? A micromanaging boss? Money? Bureaucracy? Not knowing how/what to do? Problems occupying your thoughts?
I can definitely relate. So much of life is: ‘we make plans and life happens’. And certainly, there are times to put one’s head down and accept that, for a season, some hat/s we wear take priority.
I believe it is not either/or, though, when it comes to responding to the inner voice that beckons us into something more.
When life gets hard or repetitive, the heaviness of it can trick us into accepting that this is the way it has to be.
Yet, it is the little cracks in a day’s routine that reveal openings towards a different path.
You may (or may not!) be aware that I recently relocated back to Australia, after leaving what I owned in the USA. The relocation has brought challenges - financially, emotionally, socially and practically.
The biggest challenge has been dealing with the result of the building/pest inspectors missing multiple critical, urgent issues in our new home, in the pre-purchase inspection (we’re not talking the ‘normal homeowner’ stuff). Add to the mix damage from the Christmas day storm and lack of quality control in trades and services provided.
This crane did not fare well in the Christmas day storm in Burleigh
The situation has been expensive, stressful and suddenly meant life was very different to the plan, throwing me into full-time house repair management... And I am not the kind of person who dreams of spending my days repairing my home.
I am not dismissing the privilege of owning and having a home, particularly while housing stress affects so many Queenslanders. Nor am I suggesting that my experience is similar to what you’re going through.
I share this situation to point to times in life when it can feel like an end is not in sight… And then, if paying attention, a reprieve can present - even if just for a moment - to remind us to keep moving forward.
In my case, that moment was the first day without tradespeople onsite all day… a moment to do something other than house repairs. I dove into coaching work that had been put aside and it felt so good to do what I had been longing to do and loved.
Steps taken to align with what I love doing, while the conditions remained unfavourable, helped me get my momentum back on track.
I could have waited until the urgent house repairs were completed, knowing they’ll continue to interfere. And perhaps you have your own version of this interference right now, threatening to hinder you moving forward.
But why wait until everything is ‘just right’ to get started? Why allow a precious gift of a moment to pass?
Just like when creating a painting, all that we need to know and do is our next move; that’s it. The rest can be figured out along the way.
Journal/action prompts
What is the big dream you want to bring into your life right now? What is stopping you moving towards that vision?
What is one tiny action that you can take towards that dream? One action in 5 minutes or whatever time you have! The tinier step the better!
Can you see any moment/s in your day where you are gifted those 5 minutes?
“If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.” - CS Lewis
I am committed to honoring of the wellbeing, creativity and joy of every person, as the ultimate form of justice and health for all. If I can help you or your team with this journey, or simply be a sounding board, feel free to reach out by contacting me.
