STOP WAITING FOR THE PERFECT TIME

ANNIVERSARY EPISODE

It’s hard to believe that this episode marks 3 years of this podcast. I never in my life would have thought that I would have a podcast that millions of people listen to each week! Just kidding, my listeners are just a tad bit fewer than millions. But seriously, I never would have imagined having a podcast with actual listeners and some really great positive reviews. When I first started this podcast, it took quite a while before I confidently knew that some of the listen counts were not me or my husband.

And, now while I still have a long way to go, I have a successful podcast with a real audience, some of you who continue to tune in each week. Not only that, but this is episode 399. It’s really hard to believe that I have sat down to record my podcast almost 400 times! So, similar to what I believe I did last year and the year before, I would like to use this as an example of how we can do things that we never thought we could have or would have. And I would like to focus on what often holds us back from doing these things waiting for the perfect time to do something.

THERE IS NO PERFECT TIME

Waiting for the perfect time can cause us to miss opportunities because we fail to take action on things we would like to accomplish. This can be something as little as doing a cleaning project you have been putting off to something large like starting a business. Sometimes the perfect time can just mean when we have time. We might think, I’ll do that when I am not so busy. I haven’t yet found that time of my life where there is an abundance of time to work on certain things. Starting now with what little bit of time you might be able to find is going to help you get things accomplished. It’s better to get a little bit done at a time over a period of time, rather than getting nothing done while you wait for the perfect time to come.

STARTING IS OFTEN THE HARDEST PART

Starting something can be difficult, but we often allow things to hold us back from beginning. Perfectionism is often something that can cause us to delay starting a project because we are not sure exactly how to do it. So instead of just getting started, we continue to delay. Did you ever have one of those projects that you delayed for the longest time because you did not know how to approach it? Those are the projects that I usually find end up to be really easy and I have to ask myself why I put it off for so long. Sometimes we don’t want to start a project because we think we might fail. However, if you really think about what failure might mean, it probably isn’t something that will have a major impact on your life. Failing is usually just an opportunity to learn.

LEARN AS YOU GO

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you start a project. You’ll learn as you go and make adjustments along the way. Did you ever hear the saying “You don’t know what you don’t know” Well it’s very true.  Once you get started you will start to come across things that you don’t know how to approach. It’s only by starting that you will find out what you need to learn more about. This will then lead you to seeking out the information you need to keep going.

YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH MORE IN LIFE

By starting, you’ll accomplish more than if you always wait for things to be perfect. You can take advantage of opportunities as they arise. By practicing just doing instead of always planning and waiting you will begin to see how much more you will be able to do. Again this doesn’t have to be with big projects and goals. The little things count too.

GAIN CONFIDENCE

Starting something can feel scary. But, by doing the thing you will gain confidence as you go along. When I started this podcast, I felt so crazy when I published my first episode. It was scary and intimidating knowing that what I just recorded was out there for anyone to hear. I didn’t stay intimidated for too long, because literally, no one was listening. But, in a way, it ended up helping me because I just kept going. I heard that if you just keep plugging away at something it will most likely eventually have some level of success.  Even if it doesn’t, it will give you more confidence to take on other things.

JUST START

So, whatever it is that you might want to do that you have been holding back on, consider making a decision to just start if you are able to. Don’t wait for the perfect time or the perfect way to know how to do something. Done is better than perfect. Continuous improvement comes over time and while perfection may never be achieved, it’s a whole lot better to have done something than to never start while waiting for the perfect situation to arise. I had no idea how to podcast or what to say or what I would do when I started this podcast.

And even three years later with a little bit more of a format, I am still uncertain if I could be doing this differently or in a better way. But, because I have continued to plug away at it every week for the last three years, I have begun to grow a real audience and consider this to be a success. So, as a celebration of my 3 years of podcasting, use this as an example of what you can accomplish by just jumping in and giving it a shot.  Don’t wait for the perfect time to start!

Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!

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