The One Where Time Kills All Deals

In our group of StoryAthlete Partner, there is one adage that is repeated constantly. “Time kills all deals.”

I found this to be true in all aspects of life.

When I decided I wanted to ask Kathie to marry me, we were both still in high school. I had applied to a local college and Kathie had done the same.

We didn’t know if our relationship would survive the rigors of school and the social activities that are part of that experience. I did know that I didn’t want her to get away so, in business terms, I closed the deal then and there. There was no waiting to see if we came out on the other side of college and still felt the same feelings.

We had the same attitude when it came to having kids. We had graduated and had good jobs but as they say, there is never a good time to have kids. We didn’t wait, we knew we were financially sound and hoped we were mentally mature enough to handle children. It worked out fine.

This week I put one of my rental units on the market looking for a tenant. A lot of interest was generated and I had a lot of showings. Quite a few said they were going to submit the online application but, few did.

One of the people that followed through with the application just signed the rental contract. Since then I have received three more applications from folks that saw the unit earlier this week but waited to complete the application. Guess what? They missed getting a unit they said they “loved and would be perfect for them.”

The lesson is, in life, people are waiting for their name or number to be called. “Welcome to the show.” But life doesn’t work that way. Many spend their entire lives waiting for their character’s journey to develop. Only to discover that death is the only guarantee waiting for them. It’s critical to remember that the changes we desire are not dependent on waiting. They’re dependent on an inner decision to design your envisioned reality.