We love to wait for Mondays, fresh starts, or even January 1st. But here’s the thing:

You don’t need a new day to start. You just need a new moment.

Back when I was sick, I would talk myself out of the very things that would help me feel better. I set rules and parameters for when change could begin: it had to be Monday, or the first of the month, or it had to happen first thing in the morning. If I didn’t start exactly the way I imagined, I would convince myself the whole day or week was ruined.

So I waited.

I waited for the right conditions, the right mindset, the right time. I raised the bar high enough to make sure I couldn’t reach it—so I didn’t have to try.

But what I didn’t realize then was this:

Waiting to be perfect was just another form of self-sabotage.

And I was the one building the prison around me—and holding the key.

The Shift: Start Where You Are

When I hit bottom—emotionally, spiritually, and physically—I couldn’t wait for another Monday. I didn’t have that kind of time.

So I started right then. That moment.

I got honest with myself. I told the truth out loud. I reached out for help and made myself accountable. That decision became a line in the sand.

It wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t pretty. But it was real. And that was enough.

I had to shift my mindset from “all or nothing” to “learn and move forward.” If I slipped, I didn’t have to wait for a clean slate tomorrow—I was the clean slate. I could start again in that same breath, with that same heart, right where I was.

The Gift of Failing Forward

Failure wasn’t the enemy. It was part of the process.

Your setbacks don’t have to send you all the way back.

They can become the stepping stones forward.

We are meant to fall. We are meant to get back up. It’s in those stumbles that we build strength, perspective, and resilience. If we can acknowledge what happened, learn from it, and keep going—that’s growth.

And that’s what recovery taught me:

Every moment is a moment you can begin again.

Don’t Wait. Begin.

There is no magical date on the calendar that will make everything easier. There’s just right now. And then the next now.

If you want the change, the dream, the life that feels just out of reach—go after it now. Not tomorrow. Not when things settle down. Now.

Because even if you fall, you’ll fall forward. You’ll fall into wisdom. You’ll fall into growth. And you’ll rise stronger each time.

You don’t need a new day to start, Slayer. You just need to decide.

SLAY Reflection

Ask yourself:

• Do I wait for the “perfect time” to make a change?
• How do I react when I slip or fall short?
• What would it feel like to simply continue on instead of starting over?
• Do I use setbacks as punishment?
• What would it look like to honor my growth instead?

S – L – A – Y

S: Stop waiting for a better time.
L: Learn from every step, even the stumbles.
A: Allow yourself to keep going without starting over.
Y: Yield to the truth that your next moment can be your best one yet.

Call to Action: Join the Conversation
I’d love to hear from you.
Do you wait for the “right time” to begin? What would it look like to just begin now—no matter what today looks like?
Share your story in the comments. Let’s cheer each other on.

And if you know someone who’s putting their life on pause waiting for the right time, send this to them.
Sometimes, all we need is a nudge.