“There are few things on this Earth more dangerous than waiting.” – AJ Leon

Sometimes I have these things I call BFO’s… Blinding Flashes of the Obvious.

Today’s was about waiting. I’ve been accepted for a first interview as a research subject for a study about the effects of daily yoga on depression symptoms. The interview is later this week. I realised that I’ve been waiting until that interview to actually do yoga, despite needing it, despite my body waking up stiff and tight, and despite the fact that I’ve been doing yoga with great benefits for years. (On and off.)

I was waiting.

Actually, even worse, I was waiting for permission. Like I had to make sure I was allowed to start, as opposed to simply choosing to do something good for me. #facepalm

When I realised this – with my beautiful wife’s help – I immediately thought of a passage from my dear friend AJ Leon’s book – The Life and Times of a Remarkable Misfit.

The piece is my favourite in the book. It is actually a passage that AJ used to close his presentation at MisfitConf in Fargo. It brought me to tears.

Seriously, after his presentation, I was standing in the corner, surrounded by loving friends, sobbing big, sniffly man-tears about how much it meant to me, how it made me feel powerful and fragile at the same time, and how much I f*cking loved everyone.

So. Here’s the passage:

There are few things on this earth more dangerous

than waiting. Waiting for the perfect time to launch. Waiting

to have enough money to start. Waiting for your

friends to think you can. Waiting for some blogger

or regional manager or magazine editor to notice

you. Waiting for God to increase the hours of the

day. Waiting until the kids graduate. Waiting until

you’re out of debt. Waiting for your dad to believe

in you. Waiting for the boss to say it’s fine. Waiting

for a case study to prove that it’s worth it. Waiting

for retirement. Waiting to be chosen. Waiting to be

validated. Waiting for a sign. The obvious problem with waiting. Paralysis. The

nothingness that comes with not trying. The not-so-obvious problem with waiting. The more

you do it, the better you get at it. You want to know the truth? I’d rather slip backwards

than stay put. Because at the very least I’m

learning something for my next step up. And that

something is usually more valuable than what I

would have learned by doing nothing at all. This is not a rant. I mean it. It’s overwhelming.

Think of all the art that has yet to be created and all

the web applications that have yet to be built and

all the music that has yet to be written and all the

dishes that have yet to be tasted and all stories that

have yet to be told … because somebody, somewhere

is waiting.

Are you waiting? Really? STILL?

If you aren’t massively inspired to Get Moving after reading that, I’ll eat my hat.

With love,

Israel. xo