If Not Now, Then When?

Transforming the acronym, “YOLO” 

I have often used the phrases, “One Day I will”, or ‘When I have more money I will”, or “When I am more established, or my kids are older, I will be able to”, “In the future I want to”.  Procrastination serves a purpose.  There have been times that I feel fortunate I dragged my feet, and did not immediately follow my desires.  Sometimes something better comes along, or my perspective will change, and I find myself realizing that I want something different.  We see so many examples of how kids who are able to delay gratification, will do better in the long run.  While, I know so much of this is true, I also love the idea of living in the now.  However, sometimes the best advise we can offer someone is to live in the moment.  There is tremendous excitement in just doing something, and knowing that you are in control and can choose to make something happen.

Living Spontaneously

I often wonder what it would be like to act on things quickly, and just go for it.  From as far back as I can remember, we have always planned out things like vacations,  career changes and big purchases.  Since security is high on my list of things that I strive for financially, I suppose I am doing the “right” thing.  However, there is just something exciting about living spontaneously.  Whenever I see people embracing life in this way, I have to admit I get jealous.

Not jealous of what they are doing necessarily, but of the mindset that they decided to embrace.

Right now, I am following a family of five’s Great Loop Journey.  They decided to embrace the If Not Now, then When mindset, and are over half way through their year of traveling around the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, Bahamas and other amazing places by boat.  I am sure that they took some time planning this year adventure for quite a while.  But, still, there is something about it that makes so drawn to what they have had the courage to do this year.

Budgeting allows for the Spontaneity I Crave

And, so I am realizing that since you never know how long  you have left, it is important to adopt the “If Not Now, Then When” mindset.  I realize that as a working mom, I do have some limitations to what I can do and when. I suppose this is in essence why a budget is so critical.  When I adhere to a budget, there is extra money available to make choices when an opportunity presents itself.   Budgeting allows for extra dinners out, day trips and purchases that feel right in the moment.  So, maybe that is my takeaway.  As I think about budgeting for spontaneity, I am also realizing that there are ways to incorporate a “Now” mindset in my every day life.  I bet can challenge myself to do something everyday that was not planned. Maybe I can use this mindset with conversations I need to have, tasks I need to complete, and goals I have always thought about achieving.

Budgeting in the Classroom

As I budget financially, I can also budget for spontaneity in the classroom.

Sometimes a great conversation will arise, or a news article surfaces that becomes a teachable moment.  By “budgeting” for the unexpected in the classroom, I might just be able to shake up my routine and keep everyone on his or her toes; myself included.  One thing I am going to work on is challenging myself to create something unexpected for my students each day.  I think that modeling a mindset as well as showing students different mindsets to chase might be a very interesting perspective to teach from.