Stop Saving the Good Shoes– Stop Waiting & Start Moving

When people ask this question, it often comes across like a scold.

Yet, like any quote, there’s truth. And, there’s also more to explore.

When I ask, "What are you waiting for?" I mean it as a genuine question.

The big question: What are you waiting for?

• Sometimes we wait because we’re not sure what we really want.

  
  

• Sometimes we wait because the risks feel heavier than the possibilities.

  
  

• Sometimes we wait because the timing, the confidence, or the clarity hasn’t caught up yet.

When I was a kid, I had a dress and a pair of shoes that were “too nice” for everyday. Mom said they were meant for special occasions only. So I kept waiting for just the right event to wear them. But the occasions never seemed quite special enough. While I’d been waiting, I outgrew them. The tags still on. Shoes unworn. I missed my chance to enjoy them.

Later in life, before becoming a coach, I had a job that I had loved, but it was becoming draining instead of energizing. I kept putting off acknowledging that it no longer worked for me. I ignored just how much it was affecting my mental and physical health :(

What was I waiting for? Permission from myself to adapt to how I'd grown – to upend what was known and seen as "success" from the outside.

Waiting is a choice.

It’s a decision to stay in place, even if the place no longer fits.

So let me ask again, gently: What are you waiting for?

·       A guarantee you can’t really get?

·       Permission from someone else?

·       To "feel" ready?

·       A perfect moment that doesn’t exist?

Coaching Tip

What if the thing you’re waiting for won’t come until you take the first small step?

That’s often how change works. It reveals itself in motion, not in waiting.

My 'Lesson Learned':

After a lifelong habit of waiting, the choice to get a master's degree (at 54) introduced me to professional coaching. And when I completed my first coaching certification, I chose not to wait until "ready." (whatever that is). I started moving. Best decision ever!

So yes, go do the thing. Do it in your way.

Do it with courage,

with patience for yourself,

with a willingness to be a beginner again, in some way.

You don’t have to leap off the cliff. But you do have to move.

Because sometimes, the only way forward is to stop waiting - wear the shoes!

If you’re standing at that edge right now, coaching can give you the safe place to explore, experiment, and take those first steps. You'll get confidentiality, objectivity, and structure that only coaching can bring.

Judy Garfinkel helps you clarify "what's next." Her expertise in building confidence and resilience supports personal development and the ability to navigate career and work transitions, especially now! She is a PCC credentialed coach, certified Trauma-Informed, Whole Person, and Life Purpose and Career Coach. Judy also crafts bespoke resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and bios that open doors for her clients and land jobs. Judy is a Past President of the International Coaching Federation - Connecticut Chapter, where she led 250+ member coaches. You can reach her at judy@moveintochange.com.