Don’t Wait for Opportunity, Create It

We’ve all heard the saying, “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.” As the New Year rolls in, this idea has been front of my mind.

But honestly? I don’t think it takes a new year to kick off new habits. I usually start my “resolutions” in November or December! You don’t need a magical date to make a change; you can start anytime.

Why Do We Put Things off in the First Place?

You don’t need to wait until 9:30 a.m. to get out of bed if it’s already 9:28.
You don’t need to wait until January 1st to become the person you want to be.
And you definitely don’t need to wait for an opportunity, you can create yourself.

Still, even though we hear “Don’t put off for tomorrow…” all the time, procrastination comes naturally to a lot of people. I think it often comes from fear, especially fear of the unknown. It’s tough to act when you’re not sure what the outcome will be.

Think about it: You might snooze your alarm because you know you’ll still make it to work on time. But when starting a new job, you leave 30 minutes early just in case.
We do the same thing with side hustles. We know they can work, we’ve read all the success stories—but we still hesitate out of fear we’ll mess it up. It’s ironic.

Don’t Wait for an Opportunity, Create It by Taking Action Now

I wanted to start this blog throughout college. But I didn’t actually do it until two years into my career. I told myself I was too young, or that no one would care because I had student loans.

I was so wrong. 

One of my favorite YouTubers, Aja Dang, became popular in the personal finance community because she was trying to pay off over $200,000 in loans and had no idea where to start. By being vulnerable, she was able to connect with thousands of others who were also starting their personal finance journey.

I’ve watched other bloggers, like Zach at Four Pillar Freedom, start at ground zero and work their way to a full-time online income. And during that time, I was…. Just watching! After realizing I had seen so many success stories, I started to wonder, “What the hell am I waiting for?!”

There Is Never a Right Time or a Perfect Opportunity

When I was working my 9 to 5, I kept being told that a promotion was coming. It was delayed for over 6 months due to the “company’s needs come first.” I eventually got tired of waiting and started wondering, “What if I start my own business?”

If you’re the one running the business, you don’t need to wait for a promotion. Most people spend their entire careers climbing the corporate ladder. I wanted to build something I cared about—even if it paid less for a while.

These thoughts kept ricocheting around in my head as I realized that any work I was doing to help the sales process at other organizations were skills that I could use to start my own business. Why not start that Italian food franchise in Florida? There is no reason you can’t use the skills that you learn at your 9 to 5 to start living your dream life!

I Stopped Waiting for the Opportunity and Putting Things off for Tomorrow

Spontaneously, I quit my job to travel the world at 23 and used the time to start earning income online. Initially, I thought I was too young to have a real business. I figured I would just pick up some freelancing gigs. Once again, I was so very wrong! I wonder how much money was lost because I didn’t have the confidence to create my own journey.

Even once I started Rucker Sales Consulting, I was too timid to tell people about it for months. And once I did start talking about it, I would downplay how big of a deal it was because I was worried my company might fail and because I had a huge case of impostor syndrome. 

But now, six months in, my business is profitable. I’m 25, I run my own company, and it pays for me and a team member. I still learn new things every day, but I’ve come a long way just by taking action and by changing how I talk about my goals.

Don’t Put Off For Tomorrow What You Can Do Today

Ultimately, the secret to creating your own opportunity boils down to the age-old heuristic: Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.

• Don’t wait to start a business, start it now.
• Stop putting off traveling to new countries; visit them now.
• Avoid procrastinating on building multiple income streams; build them now.
• Don’t wait to tell your story, write it now and add to it as you go!

Don’t Wait for Opportunity, Create It!

Tomorrow is never guaranteed, and as you get older, you tend to add on responsibilities. There is no better time than today to create the life that you want to live.

In the personal finance community, there is the saying, “Create the life you want to live and then save for it”. I love this because it is so action-oriented and pushes you to start finding ways to live the life you want now. There are so many great motivational quotes out there, simply find the one that speaks to you the most and look at it every day for inspiration.

If you wait until tomorrow, that day may never come because you have not cultivated the habits you need to live that life. So many people wait until they retire to live an active lifestyle of travel, but never realize their dream because they let their health decline over their working career to the point where they can no longer enjoy simple walks around a park.

There is no better time than the present to start any new endeavor. You may fail a bit along the way, but doesn’t that happen to all of us regardless of the life path we choose? Don’t make the mistake of choosing the path of least resistance, the road less traveled is often the most rewarding and fulfilling. 

I wish you a happy and healthy 2021 filled with new opportunities that you’ve created for yourself! 

Do you like the idea of “Don’t wait for opportunity, create it!”? Going into 2021, what opportunities will you be creating for yourself? What are you going to start doing today to help you get there?