Stop Waiting to Live!
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Have you ever caught yourself thinking: I’ll enjoy myself once I’ve got all of this done.”
I have!
Once I finish this.
Once that deadline has passed.
Once everyone has what they need.
Once I catch up.
Once things settle down a little.
Then…
Then I’ll relax.
Then I’ll do something I actually want to do.
Then I’ll enjoy myself.
But have you noticed something?
There is nearly always something else to do!
You finish one thing and another appears.
You clear one list and somehow start another.
You finally get through that week and the next one is already waiting for you.
And without necessarily realising it, we can start putting parts of our lives on hold.
Waiting until we have more time.
Waiting until things calm down.
Waiting until everyone else is sorted.
Waiting until we finally feel as though we have earned the right to enjoy ourselves.
But here’s the thought that challenged me:
What if the life I keep waiting to enjoy is already happening?
Not the life I’ll have when everything is finished.
Not the life waiting for me when things become easier.
This one.
The one I’m living right now.
Life Is Happening While You Wait
That sentence really makes me think.
Because while I’m waiting for the perfect opportunity to enjoy my life, life hasn’t stopped,
and it won't!
There are conversations still happening.
People still growing.
Relationships still changing.
Opportunities still appearing.
Ordinary moments still becoming memories.
There are things to laugh about.
People to enjoy.
Places to go.
Things to experience.
And yes, there are responsibilities too!!!
Both can be true.
I can have things that need my attention and still choose to enjoy my day.
My diary can be full and there can still be laughter in it.
I can be working towards something important and enjoy the conversation I’m having right now.
I don’t have to finish everything before I give myself permission to experience something good!
That doesn’t mean ignoring responsibility.
It doesn’t mean pretending a demanding day isn’t demanding.
And please, it certainly doesn’t mean adding “enjoy life” to the to-do list!!!!!!
It simply means recognising:
A Full Day ≠ A Joyless Day
Perhaps We’ve Made Enjoyment Too Big
Sometimes when we think about enjoying life, we imagine we need;
More time,
A free afternoon.
An empty diary.
A holiday.
A special occasion.
Something exciting planned.
But enjoyment doesn’t always need the whole day.
Sometimes it is a conversation that becomes ridiculously funny...(i need more of those...looool).
Music playing while you’re getting ready.
Eating something you really enjoy.
Seeing a name appear on your phone and smiling before you’ve even answered.
Five minutes outside.
Someone saying something completely unexpected.
Or that first sip of hot water and lemon…
Okay, that last one might just be me!
None of those moments require everything else to stop.
They happen right in the middle of life!!!!!
And perhaps that is exactly the point.
Your Brain Can Be So Busy With “What’s Next?” That It Misses “What’s Now”
How often do you finish one thing and immediately think:
“Right. What’s next?”
No judgement...I do it too.
Our attention can become so used to searching for the next task, the next responsibility or the next person who needs something, (pause!), that we can move straight through a good moment without really experiencing it.
Not because the moment wasn’t good.
Our thinking had simply moved on before we had.
And that is where attention matters.
Attention isn’t only useful for helping us concentrate, work or get things done.
It also helps us experience our own lives while they are happening.
There is an executive function lesson in that for me.
I need my attention to help me move forward.
But I also need it to help me recognise when there is something worth being present for right now.
And This Is Part of C3 Too
When I created C3™ | Collaborative Cognitive Continuity™, I knew I didn’t want continuity to simply mean becoming better at completing tasks.
Yes, we need to remember.
Yes, we need to follow through.
Yes, we need to stay connected.
Remembering. Following through. Staying connected.
But ultimately, why do those things matter?
So we can participate in the life that matters to us.
And participation isn’t only making the appointment.
It isn’t only completing the task.
It isn’t only remembering what needs to happen next.
Sometimes participation is being present enough to laugh during the conversation.
Enjoy the meal.
Notice the person sitting beside you.
Enjoy something you worked incredibly hard to make possible.
What is the point of managing our lives so carefully if we are never quite present enough to live them?
That question challenges me too.
So This Week, I’m Not Waiting
I’m not abandoning my to do list.
Trust me, I still need the list!
There are still things I need to do, people I need to show up for and responsibilities I need to carry.
I’m simply not going to make completing all of them the price of starting or continuing to enjoy my life.
And perhaps you don’t need to either.
So instead of asking:
“When will I finally have time to enjoy myself?”
Perhaps ask:
“What can I enjoy while living the life I already have?”
Not later.
Not once everything is sorted.
Not when the diary finally becomes empty.
But now. Somewhere in the middle of it all.
#IChoose to stop waiting to live the life that is already happening.
I can work.
I can care.
I can contribute.
I can follow through.
I can carry responsibilities.
And I can enjoy my life while I’m living it.
If You Remember One Thing…
There will probably always be something else to do.
So don’t make everything be about finishing. Making 'finishing' the condition for allowing yourself to live.
Life is happening now and while you wait.
SO....
Laugh.
Connect.
Notice.
Participate.
Enjoy something!!!!
A full day ≠ a joyless day.
And perhaps most importantly…
Stop waiting to live!
Reach out if you’re ready to stop waiting for life to become less busy before you start fully participating in it.
With Gratitude,
Your Friend and Coach,
Annabel
C3™ | Collaborative Cognitive Continuity™
Created by Annabel Aaron
Reach out if you're ready to stop waiting for life to become less busy before you start fully participating in it.
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