now is the new later

goalshabitslessons

Apr 26

Do you know how much your life would change if you did the thing? If you kicked procrastinating to the curb? If you started small, but in doing so, started now?

You know what I’m talking about. What would happen if you organized that book party you’ve been wanting to host? What would happen if you started going for walks regularly? What would happen if you applied for that job you really want? What would happen if you planted a cut flower garden?

Change is possible! You can make the choices necessary to cultivate a life you love. But it usually starts a lot smaller than the big dreams you currently have in your head. Allow me to explain.

Have you ever read a book or listened to a speaker who recommended performing an action after or during the process of reading or listening to them? Last year, I read a book by Jon Acuff called All It Takes is a Goal (a fantastic book, by the way). Within that book, Acuff mentioned how he created a Best Moments list of the highlights he’d experienced in his life so he could see what he valued and what was really worth investing his time into. As I was reading, I thought, huh, that’s really cool and never did anything about it. It wasn’t until months later when I saw a friend on Instagram post to their story their own Best Moments list alongside their copy of the book that I realized I’d missed out on a great opportunity to learn and grow.

Creating a Best Moments list is such a small, easy thing to do, but I lost out when I decided that I was too busy to draft my own list. If I want to show up as the best version of myself, I need to make decisions consistent with who I want to become. I want to be a person who accepts calls to action and does them. I want to be a person who walks away from a church service and practices what I’ve learned. I want to be a person who can pivot when something new comes up, to make small adjustments to what I’m doing to improve regularly.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read a good book with a call to action at the end. More often than I’d care to admit, I close the book and think I’ll do that later. How frequently does this elusive ‘later’ really come? If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ve ever once gone back “do it later.”

Friends, now is the new later.

If you want to show up as the best version of yourself, you’re going to have to make hard choices. Put in a little extra effort. Go the extra mile.

The biggest difference between dreamers and those who do the things they are dreaming about is not as vast as you might want to believe. The biggest difference is that doers are willing to start small, take the little action steps, and move towards their dreams, slowly but surely. Rather than just dreaming about changing, they become active participants in their lives by choosing to begin somewhere.

After reflecting on the Best Moments incident, I realized that if I want to cultivate a life I love, I am going to need to start doing the things that people recommend as helpful and good. If you want to start cultivating a life you love, you are going to have to start, too! If you don’t start immediately, the odds of you starting at all are slim to none (Knaus, 1998).

Now is the new later.

One of my sisters, Gabrielle, is so good at this. At youth group, the leaders will often send the kids home with a challenge to complete for the week. Things like writing 100 things they’re grateful for, reading Lamentations 3, or memorizing a passage of scripture. I’m not sure how many of the youth kids follow through on their challenges, but Gabrielle does faithfully. Week after week, she chooses to pursue what matters, and as a result, her character is being refined into something truly beautiful. Whenever a challenge is issued, she scribbles it down on her hand and when she gets home, she starts on it without delay.

Now is the new later.

Obviously, I’m not saying that you should be pursuing every single thing someone claims has value. You would quickly become exhausted and discouraged with the overwhelming volume of things to do. However, when someone shares something that really impacted their life, you need to evaluate whether the practice would benefit you. If the answer is yes, what are you waiting for!?

If now is indeed the new later, how can you move from being a spectator to being a participant in your life? How can you make the shift from thinking about doing the things to actually doing them?

1 Identify something you do that doesn’t contribute to the lifestyle you are trying to develop.

For me, this is definitely social media. I want to live in real life and do things that really matter. I want to create and bless others with uncommon acts of kindness and encouragement. I want to connect deeply with others on a meaningful level. Because of this, mindless scrolling is an activity I want to replace with something much better.

Whenever someone recommends a new course of action for me and I feel I don’t have enough time to implement it, I can simply look at the time I spend scrolling mindlessly and realize that I have a lot more time than I thought I had! Replace time-sucking activities with activities that will challenge and grow you!

And hey, if something helpful during one stage in your life is no longer a good fit, it’s okay to move on to something different. You are learning, growing, and changing every day, and it’s okay to let things go to grow into something new.

2 Commit to getting buff!

And no, I don’t mean slamming protein shakes and spending countless hours in the gym to get physically ripped.

I mean working out your discipline muscle.

If you want to cultivate a new lifestyle and chase after your dreams and goals with tenacity, you will need to practice discipline. I must warn you that often, motivation doesn’t show up for the training sessions. You will need to remind yourself of what you’re working towards and show up for yourself time and again, especially when you don’t feel like it.

Practicing discipline by implementing small, incremental changes works wonders because you will start to rack up small wins. Small wins make you feel great, so you will keep showing up and make progress on your goals. That is why it is so important for you to take the challenges offered by speakers, authors, friends, and leaders and engage with what you’re learning! Put it into practice and see how much will change!

3 Try this new challenge >>>

It’s time to return to the question I asked at the beginning of the article. What would happen if you did the thing? I’m not only talking about the big things, the beautiful dreams you have for a life full of meaning and purpose! I’m also talking about the small things, the little challenges that pop up daily. Things like taking out the trash, organizing the pantry, or choosing to read instead of mindlessly scrolling. So, here’s my challenge for you: The next time you are reading or listening to someone speak and they offer a challenge, take it! Your life can only change insomuch as you are willing to shake things up and do something a little bit different.

Now is the new later!

Remember the goal is to show up as the best version of yourself. If you want to be a good steward of what you’ve been given, if you want to bless others and encourage them in the best way possible, you need to be in a place to do that. Investing in your character and lifestyle is an investment into the lives of those around you, too, because you’ll be better equipped to love and serve!

So, friend, what would happen if you did the thing? I’m cheering you on as you choose the things that really matter to you! It’s time to start putting in the work to cultivate a life you love.

Now is the new later. And today is an opportunity to start.