In so much of life these days we rush to decide, fix, or take action. We operate on someone else’s schedule (boss, family member, significant other, child, etc). Or we pressure ourselves like we “should” be able to figure this thing out or act NOW. But that pressure ignores the idea of perfect timing.
When you do not feel ready for something – here’s a crazy idea – perhaps it’s because YOU ARE NOT READY!
You are not ready – not because you’re a loser, not smart enough, or lazy – the reasons your ego will ascribe. Instead, timing isn’t yet right somehow in the unfolding of the situation. There is something you don’t yet know, have not yet experienced or learned, or some other element that must be resolved before you proceed.
When you ignore that timing doesn’t feel right about something, you know what happens. Doing that thing is hard. And you feel shitty. It does not matter how good of a human being you are. It’s hard and you feel shitty. Period.
You might wonder, how do I tell the difference between waiting for the right moment and that pesky habit of procrastination?
It’s simple. Check your gut.
If your belly feels tight, constricted, like you are resisting something – you are not ready to make your decision or take action. Doing something before it is meant to happen is like rowing your boat in a river against the current. Painful, slow, and you actually may not get anywhere.
If your belly feels open, you can breathe fully, and you feel a sense of ease and flow – it’s time. It’s like rowing your boat down the river with the current. Feels good, requires little effort, and you will get to your destination with ease.
While it may feel hard to wait, it’s worth it. When you act in perfect timing – cued by your own body – the universe responds to help fulfill what is destined and in your highest good to be. This is the message in John Cusack’s film Serendipity. A man and woman meet in the beginning, have an amazing romantic spark, but they both intuitively know that timing is not right. They later follow their own senses around when to take action toward meeting again, and because it is both their destiny and perfect timing, the universe lines up people and circumstances to “serendipitously” bring them together in the same place at the same time in the end. This is the magic of allowing life to unfold in perfect timing!
Inspired action:
If you’re inspired to give this notion of perfect timing a whirl, here are 4 things to consider next time you are deciding what to do or when or how: 1. Don’t pressure yourself to act too soon. Consider the wisdom in this question from the Tao Te Ching: “can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?”
2. If anyone else puts pressure on you, simply say, “I don’t know yet.” This is allowed. That’s why the phrase was invented. Brilliant. 3. Your job in perfect timing is to tune into yourself. Your body will know when the decision or right action arises. You’ll feel a sense of “ahhhh yes, this is right for me.”
4. Once you’ve taken your inspired action, watch the magic of perfect timing unfold. You might even get more than you ever dreamed possible!