In a conversation with a friend, a phrase came to me: “The world doesn’t have time to wait for you.”

Initially, this landed as completely absurd.

Life doesn’t have time?! I relate to time as a human construct, not one of life’s universal laws.

So, I sat with it…

The world doesn’t have time to wait for you. The world doesn’t have time to wait for you. The world doesn’t have time to wait for you.

…And the message settled in.

There is a call to play our parts in creating the world we want – right now.

The stirrings we feel to serve are here for a reason.

Those who feel called to serve are here to be the torchbearers and midwives for our collective healing and evolution. What’s required is that we answer the call with courage, humility, and devotion.

The world doesn’t have time to wait for us.

But what happens for so many of us is that we hear the call, then fall into doubt…

• We get trapped in unworkable win-lose narratives, such as believing that if we rise in our leadership, we must work ourselves into the ground, or that we can either have a thriving business or a thriving relationship, but not both.
• We get crushed under the weight of perfectionism – finding the perfect words, achieving the perfect weight, having the perfect messaging/website/photos.
• We don’t ask for the support we need, then feel crushed by uncertainty, overwhelm and despair.
• We compare ourselves to others. The ones who have been doing it longer, have better branding, are more articulate/slim/popular/you-name-it. “Why would anyone want to work with me or hear what I have to say, when she says and does everything so much better?”
• We slide into existential questioning of our own goodness and worthiness.

And all of these experiences are so normal.  

Because we’ve often been told (or shown) that asking for and receiving help is a sign of weakness, that being “perfect” is what earns us love (or money), that our worth is determined by our looks or intelligence.

And as a result of these doubts, we lose so much…

• We lose touch with our deepest desires or passion for what we feel called to.
• We have a million ideas and have a hard time sensing where to start.
• We get hooked into praise/approval and our own voice gets drowned out.

We recoil.
Slow ourselves down.
Let the fire die.
Stop.

We lose our momentum.
The world loses our wisdom.

Sometimes slowing down is necessary for rest and reflection. Sometimes slowing down is a way we “protect” ourselves from growth. It’s up to us to discern what’s true for us. @AskNisha (Click to Tweet!)

We are in a time where we’re being called to transcend the stories that keep us small and quiet, to work together to support the collective healing of our planet and ourselves.

What are the doubts that have been slowing you down? What are you committed to stepping into?

In the comments below, share the win-lose narratives, traps of perfectionism, comparison, or holding-back you’ve felt stuck in. Then, share what you’re committed to stepping into.

Nisha Moodley is a Women’s Leadership Coach and the creator of Fierce Fabulous Free, The Freedom Mastermind & The Virtual Sisterhood. Inspired by the belief that the world will be set free by women who are free & sisterhood is key to a woman’s freedom, Nisha creates communities of ambitious women to support them in redesigning their lives & businesses. Find her online at NishaMoodley.com and download her free Take Flight Action Guide to explore the next expansion of your freedom at TakeFlightActionGuide.com. You can follow Nisha on Twitter or FB.

Image courtesy of Ben White.