Why it really is now or never

When was the last time you did something different? Decided you were ready for a shift, ready for a change, ready to take action? Sometimes taking action in our life can mean joining a running club to motivate ourselves, or a book club to meet new people, or it can be something more radical. Starting our own business. Ending a relationship. Moving overseas.

Life is full of big decisions and small decisions, and whilst some big decisions take time to reach, it's also worth knowing the difference between hesitating for a good reason, and hesitating for no reason. 

We can spend all our time procrastinating and deliberating and mulling things over, making lists of pros and cons, and seeking advice from every 'expert' around. Sometimes these fact finding missions can be helpful and they might help us realise that the change we were seeking is not the change we actually need. Sometimes when we hesitate it's because there's something inside us telling us to wait, that the time isn't right, or maybe there's something else around the corner. In those times when we pause, it's good to respect the hesitation. 

But if you're hesitating because you're waiting for a definite sign, then I have to tell you, those don't exist. Sure you might get a really strong gut feeling, you may feeling your heart singing out loud with desire, or you might have the moral support of your loved ones, but if you're waiting for a 100% guarantee-or-your-money-back-no-fee-applies then you're going to be waiting for a long time because they simply aren't real. 

Nothing in life is certain. Jobs aren't for life, marriages aren't forever and guarantees certainly don't exist (and don't believe anyone who tries to sell you one). The reason every magazine fills its front page with 'bikini body in 10 days' stories every summer is because, guess what, last's year fail-proof summer diet, um, failed and now we all want the next guaranteed solution.

If you want change to happen in your life, you and only you have to make it happen, and more often than not, making things happen is about taking a deep breath and a big leap. A leap into the unknown, a leap of faith and a leap - well, wherever your leap is taking you is no doubt different to where my leaps have taken me, but one thing IS for sure, taking leaps certainly take you somewhere different to where you are now. Which is where most of our desire for change comes from - the desire to be somewhere different, to do something different, to feel something different. 

So how do you know when to pause and when to press go? No one can tell you, but you can listen to your heart, you can meditate and you can connect deeply to your sense of purpose through whatever pursuit makes you feel most alive, but ultimately, you have to make the call. This is where now or never comes in. Sometimes the only way to push yourself into action is to ask yourself how would you feel if you could only do this now - and that if you don't do it now, you will never do it at all? 

I had plenty of reasons not to do my yoga teacher training. Not enough time, not enough money and hey, it wasn't like I wanted to actually be a yoga teacher when I had my hard-earned career, right? These were the reasons I told everyone, and sure, I believed them, and it certainly felt true enough at the time. It was only when I turned 30 (a whole 5 years after first wanting to do the course) that I thought, if I don't do it now, when will I do it? It was this sense or urgency, the realisation that time was passing that I decided to sign up. And life started to change in ways I could never have planned or anticipated, but which have certainly expanded my life in ways I could never have imagined. 

When all is said and done, life is short. Our time is precious. Your wants and needs and desires are no selfish, they are worth something. If there's something you want to do, ask yourself, now or never. And listen to your heart's response. On 27th November you can join me for a restorative yoga and yoga nidra workshop which helps us connect deeply to our heart's true desires, find out more here. http://www.melskinneryoga.com/heartfelt-desire/