Don’t Wait

by Kimberly Hickok

Perspective is a function of age and circumstance. As we age we gain experience and knowledge in a number of areas – personally and professionally. And, as we travel along our own life path, our circumstances change. We go from child to adult to parent to caretaker. Each step along the way has the ability to change our perspective.

Over the last few years I’ve had a shift in perspective. Yeah, I’m getting older (I’ll be 50 in 2015  yikes!) but the thing that’s made the biggest impact is observing how quickly one’s circumstance can change. In the last two years I’ve observed, and in some cases been affected by, the following – all of which are happening with close friends and family:

  • Cancer – breast and pancreatic
  • Divorce or death of a spouse
  • Taking care of sick and/or aging parents
  • Challenges with raising teenagers/young adults
  • Raising a special needs child
  • Business/money issues

 

In a world obsessed with ‘balance’ I’ve been slowly, but surely, adjusting my perspective and this has been working for ME. I don’t presume to tell anyone else how to live but I’ve decided to live by the ‘Don’t Wait’ and ‘No Fear’ concepts.

Don’t Wait means that it doesn’t make sense to wait for everything to be perfect in life, or in perfect balance. It also means that at any time my circumstance can change so things that I’ve been putting off doing, like trying something new or going someplace I’ve never been to before, I should just do. This change in perspective has allowed me to let go of the little stuff. I’ve learned that from my friends that have been dealing with cancer.

Think about it this way: why wait for a diagnosis of cancer, or some other life altering health diagnosis, to change my perspective? Heck, I can do that now, right?

The No Fear thing is slightly different. For me it means that I shouldn’t be afraid to just go for it. What have I got to lose? If I have an idea to present to a client that I think they might reject, I don’t stress about it anymore. I present the idea. If I want to try a new activity that might make me look foolish, I don’t care. I go for it. To think that I could miss out on trying something new because of fear is just not cool.

In a positive way I refuse to wait to let my friends and family know how I feel about them and I’m not waiting anymore to enjoy their company. And, most importantly, I’m not waiting for my husband and I to retire to have fun. We might not be able to do long elaborate vacations right now but we can still get away for a weekend here and there.

So there you have it – DON’T WAIT! We have no idea of what tomorrow will bring.

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