Have you ever found yourself saying something like this: "I really need to make a change, but the time just isn't right"?
That one short phrase—"the time isn't right"—has the potential to keep you trapped in the wrong situation indefinitely. I see that all the time when people look at potential career changes. One day slides into the next. One week slides into the next. One month slides into...well, you get the picture.
Someone who says, "It's not the right time," typically means one of two things:
- There really are some factors that make right now not the right time.
- This is kind of scary and looks like a lot of work, so maybe I'll do it later.
If you find yourself saying, "The time isn't right," take an honest look at which of those two you really mean. If it's the first, define what the "right time" looks like. Ask yourself why, specifically, now isn't the right time. What needs to be different in order for it to be the right time? If you don't look at that very consciously, it's easy for months and even years to slip past with no significant change.
If it's the second, I encourage you to take action anyway. Saying, "The time isn't right," might let you avoid the short-term discomfort of change, but it does so at the price of the long-term pain that comes from being in a situation that's not right for you.
After years as a professional malcontent, Curt Rosengren discovered the power of passion. As a speaker, author, and coach, Rosengren helps people create careers that energize and inspire them. His book 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work and his E-book The Occupational Adventure Guide offer people tools for turning dreams into reality. Rosengren's blog, The M.A.P. Maker , explores how to craft a life of meaning, abundance, and passion.
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