“Do not wait until all of the conditions are perfect for you to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” – Alan Cohen
This quote by Alan Cohen is one of my all time favourites. Anyone who procrastinates regularly can probably relate to this. Have you ever said to yourself that you’ll start working once your office is clean and tidy, that you’ll get into an exercise routine once you have more time, that you’ll start getting together with friends more once you feel better, less tired, less depressed, or happier? Have you ever had a major project and decided to start working on it only once all of your other little nagging tasks have been done? Have you ever thought that you’ll keep better touch with a family member or apologize to someone when you have more time or are “ready”? All of this is perfectly normal. We want to do something that’s important to us, but then we build barriers that get in our way. If we have to wait until we’re less tired, more energetic, more happy, less depressed, less hungry, and so on, to do what’s important to us, when will we ever do it? What’s more, actually doing things that are important to us, or that we enjoy, can have a tremendous effect on how we feel. We might actually find that, as we start doing things that we enjoy or that are meaningful, we start to feel less tired, more happy, less depressed, and so on. This is the opposite of waiting until all of the conditions are perfect to begin. Just as in the quote above, beginning can make the conditions perfect. Now, this doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to be impulsive or to jump into major commitments or activities without thinking things through. On the other hand, sometimes some of us could use a little more impulsivity in life. In some ways, there’s problematic impulsivity (where you do things that are potentially harmful without thinking through the consequences) and helpful impulsivity. Helpful impulsivity (which, to be honest, I’m just making up) involves doing things that are meaningful or positive without thinking your way out of them. An example of helpful impulsivity is spontaneously making a decision to help someone cross the street, give directions to someone who seems lost, get on the bike, treadmill, or (even better) go outside for a hike or run, call up a long-lost friend or relative, give someone a hug, and so on. How do you decide whether what you’re doing is problematic or helpful impulsivity? One way to decide is to use your values as a compass, as discussed in a previous blog. Once you’re clear on what’s important, valuable, and meaningful to you, you can make effective, quick, and wise decisions to do those activities. Don’t give yourself room to talk yourself out of it. Start now! Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych.,