The quote “If not now, when?” has been sitting with me for quite some time. For a long time, I took this quote to say, do it now! Recently, I’ve been sitting with the “when”, rather than the “if not now”.
On some level, each of us know when we will choose to start a project, eat healthier, create an exercise routine, go on walks, get outside more, save money, pay off debt, quit drinking so much alcohol, Diet Coke or coffee and so on. For most of us, it’s “not yet”.
Instead of thinking we need to start NOW, we consider, what month, year or age do I want to make these changes? You get to be in control of this, rather than a “should” do it.
What if you have in mind something you THINK you want to change and yet every time you try to do it, something happens, you aren’t able to carry through with it.
Let me give you an example. I know I should go walking more often, get outside and move this body, yet I can come up with all kinds of things I’d rather be doing. So, I’ve sat with this idea of “when”. When will I start moving my body more? Which led me into the spiral of curiosity, is it that I don’t like being outside? No, I enjoy being outdoors. Is it that I don’t like walking? No, when I go with my daughter, I enjoy walking/hiking. Part of what I’m in the process of thinking through is what steps do I need to take for me, to locate a group or create a group of age 50+ individuals that have the desire to move their body but have difficulty doing it on their own. So, while I don’t have an actual month chosen to make this happen, I know in 2026 I will be walking more and getting outdoors. See, that’s the when.
One last thing on the “when”. I believe “when” gives the freedom and mind space to get an idea of when one wants to make a change a priority. Maybe there are too many things on your plate right now to commit to a change. What if, you choose a month in 2026 or an age, and that releases the pressure, knowing there is time and you don’t have to look at it until then.
Want to explore this idea further? If not now, when?
