Now Is NOT The Right Time

“I know I need to do this… but now’s just not the right time.”

That’s a line I hear all the time from smart, driven leaders who know there’s work to do, but keep putting it off.

“I’m too busy.”

“Our team has vacancies —I’ll focus once we fill those roles.”

“There’s too much happening at work, at home, in the world.”

“I can’t justify spending money on myself right now.”

It all sounds reasonable.

Except it’s not.

Because now—in the middle of the chaos, the stretch, the uncertainty—is exactly when the work matters most.

It’s easy to show up when everything’s smooth.

But who are you when it’s not?

Worried about money?

Who do you need to become to navigate financial uncertainty with clarity instead of fear?

Short-staffed and overwhelmed?

Who do you need to become to lead through the gap—not just after it’s fixed?

I recently spoke with a leader whose team is in disarray—dysfunction, burnout, people not speaking up.

She knows there’s deep culture work to do. But she wants to wait.

She said, “Once we fill those two open roles, I’ll be able to focus on leadership and team dynamics.”

That was ten months ago.

The roles still aren’t filled.

The dysfunction? Still there.

If anything, it’s worse.

This is what waiting gets you.

Growth doesn’t wait for your calendar to clear.

It waits for your courage to show up.

When I used to do health coaching, I saw it all the time:

People didn’t change their habits until they got sick.

Until they had no choice.

They waited for the diagnosis, the emergency, the crisis.

Then—and only then—did they start doing what they could’ve done all along.

But health doesn’t just happen.

Neither does leadership.

Neither do clients.

Neither does confidence.

Everything you want in your life is something you deliberately create.

And you don’t create it by waiting for life to settle down.

You create it in the mess.

In the stretch.

In the moment when every part of you wants to hit pause.

Here’s what most people never realize:

Growth never shows up wrapped in a bow.

It’s inconvenient.

It’s uncomfortable.

It seems like bad timing but it’s not—it’s the exact timing your growth needs.

So if you’re telling yourself “now’s not the right time,” stop and ask:

Is that actually true?

Or is it just fear, perfectionism, or control—wearing a more reasonable mask?

You can keep waiting.

Or you can start becoming.

You don’t need to be ready.

You just need to be willing.