### What we lose while we wait and the case for right now. _**“Let’s Wait”**_ is expensive Whether you like it or not, Inaction is a decision and most of the time it’s the wrong decision. Most people think risk comes from making bad decisions. In cybersecurity, that can look like actively choosing to delay software updates that leave known vulnerabilities open for attackers to exploit or even something even more common like reusing the same password for decades (_one breach compromises EVERY account you have. If this is you, for the love of God please consider using a password manager_). This outcome of risk is pretty clear, easy to understand and it usually keeps us from making stupid decisions on a daily basis. However, the most expensive outcomes usually come when we make what we believe to be the safer choice: Making **no decision at all.** You want to improve your life/finance/health etc. You have massive dreams of changing your trajectory and the trajectory of your loved ones. You want these things more than anything. They occupy your thoughts during all waking hours. You can feel these things at your fingertips. You envision your life as if these goals have already arrived. And you do **nothing** about. You take **zero** action. Or you take what I call fake action. You ask your favorite LLM “CrackGPT” to first tell you how awesome you already are (always need a reminder right?), then you ask it to give you the exact roadmap to meet all of the different goals you have for yourself. CrackGPT then provides you with the most detailed roadmap ever, with so much detail that it directly feeds into the visions discussed earlier of you at the finish line. You feel so accomplished that the _**exact**_ recipe you need to bake the cake that will change your life has been gifted to you by the Gods that are “CrackGPT” and its AI brethren and all you have to do is follow it exactly as its written and everything you’ve ever wanted is yours (you can see where I’m going with this). And.. you do **NOTHING**. No changes have been made. You’re right back where you started 2 years ago. There’s an illusion in safety you feel when you choose to take no action. “I can’t make a bad decision if I don’t make one, right? “ Wrong. “I’ll wait” an expensive strategic loss in business, in tech, and in life as a whole. Ask Blockbuster, ask Blackberry, hell ask the one that got away. Inaction can be your downfall if you are not careful. In 2000, Blockbuster had the opportunity to buy Netflix for $50 million but chose stay with their current business model, with many accounts describing the meeting between the two companies as Blockbuster laughing Netflix out the room. Netflix is now worth $325 billion dollars as of the writing of this article while Blockbuster is history. Waiting too long to make a move can often times be more costly than making the wrong move. The Case For Right Now For whatever reason, people think when you make a decision without having all the answers or without conditions being perfect, then you’re being reckless. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Often, waiting can be far a more expensive strategy than taking actions right now and this is evident throughout all areas of life. A few examples: - If someone who starts investing $200/month at 25 versus 35, they don’t just lose 10 years of contributions, they lose **decades** of compound growth. That 10-year delay can cost $150,000+ by retirement. The “perfect time” to start was yesterday. - Nearly 80% of patients achieve a survival rate of 10+ years when diagnosed with cancer in stage 1 or 2. When diagnosed in stage 3 or 4, that survival rate plummets to 25%. Delaying certain health screening can be the difference between death and a fighting chance at life. - The difficult talk you’ve been avoiding doesn’t get easier with time. That resentment compounds. What could’ve been a single uncomfortable evening becomes years of distance or a sudden explosion. - While you’re perfecting that product/business idea, your competitor ships a “good enough” version, captures the market, and iterates based on customer feedback, capturing your potential market share. You don’t need to have all of the information to make a move. You just need to understand and be mindful of the fact that you may need to pivot. Pivoting costs far less than a decade of inertia. You learn something when you need to pivot while you learn nothing just waiting. A Simple Framework to Escape Inaction Inaction feels safe. Your comfort zone is a fantastic place to be, but unfortunately, nothing grows there. Breaking free of this requires a drastic shift in how you evaluate your decisions. Here’s a simple framework to help : **STEP 1:** Ask yourself, “**Can this be done right now?**” Not “should be done eventually” or “would it be nice to get this done someday,” no, can this be done, _right now?_ As in this very moment? If the answer is yes, you have no excuses. Get it done. The only thing in the way of you and the progress you want to make is the decision to move. **STEP 2: Name and quantify the cost of waiting:** Before you default to “I’ll just do it later,” force yourself to really quantify the cost of doing it later. Force yourself to name the price. What compounds while you sit still? What drifts further out of reach? Inaction usually has a cost, we just never really bother to calculate it. Make that inaction tax truly visible and put a number/cost on it to truly make it sting. **STEP:3 Define the smallest possible move:** You don’t need to solve world hunger today. What’s the one smallest step you can make towards that goal today? What’s the one email you can send? One conversation, one phone call? These little actions create momentum and momentum creates the clarity you could never get from sitting still. **STEP 4: Set a deadline and honor it:** Open-ended timelines are where goals go to die. Pick a date. When it arrives, we move. Ready or not. Move your body. The conditions will never be perfect. **Yeah Its Scary.** Action is very uncomfortable for a lot of people. There’s a reason we all have a tendency to put things off. Making a move exposes oneself to the possibility of failing, being judged, or just general uncertainty. But here’s the thing: **The Bill Always Comes Due.** Avoiding what scares you will be expensive and the longer you wait, the more interest you’ll pay. The people you admire the most aren’t fearless. They come across as bold and decisive but they’re no different than you and me. They experience fear too but the difference is that they don’t let fear run the calendar. They feel the resistance and they move anyway. Uncertain? Do it uncertain. Tired? Do it tired. Scared? Do it scared. Yes, it's scary, but it's supposed to be. Anything worth achieving should make you feel nervous. The cost of inaction compounds daily. Ask yourself, how much are you willing to pay? Right now is the cheapest it will ever be to begin. Thanks for reading.