My Biggest Entrepreneurial Question: Should I Wait?
In life and business, some things can wait…and some can’t.
The night before my Mom died suddenly, we spent a good 30 minutes on the phone. I had called her to tell her she was right about something, and that I was grateful that she always gave me insights to think about, even if I ended up doing the exact opposite of her recommendations.
When she answered my call and said hello, I didn’t even greet her before I said, “I called to tell you that you are right.” And without missing a beat she said, “I know I am, but what about this time?”
At that point in my life, like in many other points (like now, like then, like tomorrow again), I was splitting myself too thin. I often have a million ideas and want to go do every single damn one of them RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. As a brand catalyst, I LOVE building brands and businesses… for both me and others.
Over the weekend, I had been telling my mom about a podcast I wanted to launch as part of my next growth angle. I explained to her the big vision and some of the business opportunities that I was hoping to generate when she gently inquired if it was the right time. “Michelle,” she said, “it will be there in a few months if it is meant for you. You haven’t given yourself a break, you’re growing your primary business, and there are people in your life who you don’t have enough time for as it is.”
At first, I bristled, because I always wanted to do the exact opposite of whatever my mother told me to do. I also was slightly triggered because deep down I knew I wasn’t spending enough time with the people who meant the most to me.
After her words sank in for a day or two, I patted my ego on its imaginary head because she was right. I wanted to share how her wisdom changed me immediately because I knew there were times I was “too busy” to connect. I could’ve waited to tell her since I had just spent most of the weekend with her and had already talked to her once that day. I didn’t have to make the call at that moment when I just had a few minutes before arriving home. I didn’t have to make the call at all. But I did, and I’m glad because it was the last conversation I had with her.
Here’s the point: Sometimes we should wait. When we’re barreling down the road of life, consuming and producing in rapid succession, the pause helps us gather ourselves and reconnect with our truest intentions. In the pause, we can ponder the BIG questions: Is this what I really want? Is this good for me? For those I care about? For the legacy I want to create? For my community? For the world?
And, even more importantly, here’s the bigger point: Sometimes, we shouldn’t wait. When it comes to taking a simple moment to connect with the people who mean the most to us, pausing may mean we miss the opportunity entirely.
The right endeavors will be right in a few minutes or days or weeks. The right moments with the people we love may not be.
I started the podcast a few months later. I didn’t get another call with my mom.
Don’t constantly put off the people in your life to do the things on your list. If your list is like mine, it’s never-ending. But the people? They are finite.
Be here now.
My mom, brother and I together at my parents’ house.
