Lifestyle

Timing Is Everything: Why You Should Make Plans Like There's No Tomorrow

by Jessica Barraco

They say timing is everything, though some people don’t believe in that principle. Physicists have been asking for years whether or not time even exists.

Society is obsessed with movies about time travel, but when it’s in the here and now, some have trouble understanding that this is actually something of a controversy.

Why is it that when timing works in your favor and things finally start to make sense, society somewhat judges you?

Friends, coworkers, family and people you love start spewing phrases like, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” or “Take it slow,” or “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for something else?” and “What are your other options?”

Is it society’s obsession with the “grass is always greener” or is it just some people’s inability to be happy for one another? Even more troubling, is it that people simply do not want to admit to you — or more importantly, to themselves — that sometimes, just sometimes, life can work out?

Until very recently, I was one of those people. Rolling my eyes at my friends who think they’re in love within two weeks of knowing someone, I had no tolerance for people jumping the gun around me.

But, when my boyfriend told me he loved me AND I got a literary agent in the span of one week (two components of my life I had been striving to make happen for several years), I had to admit to myself that timing IS everything.

Why is it so hard for people to buy into this?

The universe is out there, working its magic. Whether you call it God, Tinkerbell, a coincidence or your deceased relative in heaven who’s helping you, good stuff sometimes happens in a way that’s too perfect to blame serendipity. People often grow pessimistic when bad and annoying things happen, but still, good things can happen, too.

My parents got married within six months of knowing each other. They moved in together almost immediately after meeting — my dad moved across the country to be with my mom. When he recalls his impulsive move from LA to New York, he can’t remember anyone telling him he was crazy for doing it or that things were moving “too fast.” He was happy and life followed him. That was fine in 1974. Forty years later, however, if I moved across the country for a guy within a month of knowing him or got married after six months, people who love me would tell me I’m actually bananas. What gives?

Believing is not difficult.

Many people have issues with believing in things that aren’t tangible or that haven’t happened to them. Linearly speaking, some people have a limited expectation of timing; they too often stick to jobs that might make them miserable, move in with someone or have a baby just because it feels like it’s time. I have never understood why this happens — we all go at our own pace, right?

My favorite line from the movie “Hook” is when Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) says,

“Every time someone says 'I do not believe in fairies,' somewhere, there's a fairy that falls down dead.”

The moment you stop believing, the minute you roll your eyes at your love-struck friend or second-guess your instincts about the route your life is taking, the further away from benefitting from time you will be.

Every person is allowed to have his or her own goals. So, if your goal is to write a musical, run a company, become a florist or have kids by a certain age… let it be. Sure, we can’t force things, but when we see positive things happening for our friends, try to be supportive rather than question their happiness.

One day, if you are open to it, it will happen to you, too. Take it from a converted believer. Not everything sucks.

Photo via We Heart It