Waiting Comes at a Cost

The cost of not taking ownership of what you really want.

"You don't need to be fearless, you just need to be willing to act in spite of your fear."

In 2009, during the worst economic downturn in decades, Starbucks launched VIA instant coffee. The timing wasn’t great. People were cutting costs, not splurging on coffee.

But they didn’t wait for the “perfect” moment. They focused on what mattered: making something worth noticing. And it worked.

We tell ourselves to wait for signs, for permission, for conditions to improve. But the truth? Perfect timing is a myth.

People showed up not because the timing was perfect, but because the coffee was worth showing up for.

We've built an elaborate story around perfect timing. We tell ourselves stories about waiting for signs, about letting things unfold "naturally," about not wanting to seem too eager.

But what if we're confusing patience with permission?

What if, while we're waiting for the perfect moment, we're actually hiding?

The industrialist waits for market conditions.

The artist makes art.

The politician waits for polls.

The leader leads.

An amateur waits for validation. The professional shows up and does the work.

Moments don't show up wearing a sign that says "I'm the right moment." They show up disguised as ordinary Tuesdays, waiting to see what we'll do with them.

You don’t need the perfect moment to begin. You just need the courage to make this one yours.

We can’t ever be sure of what someone else wants, but we’re always clear about what we want. So, each day we wait is a day we trade possibility for comfort. If we don’t make a move, the moment will move on without us.

The magic isn’t in waiting. It is in starting.