The Cost of Waiting

All week long, I’ve been in a training every night from 12:00–2:00 a.m.

It was called the Next Top Speaker Challenge.

No this wasn’t just about crafting a speech.

This was about something much deeper.

It was about the boldness to proclaim: This Is Me.

No masks.

No shrinking.

No waiting for approval.

As my final homework, I delivered a mini talk called “The Cost of Waiting.”

It opened with a truth that hits way too close to home for most people:

The richest place on earth isn’t a city.

It’s the graveyard.

Because that’s where dreams go when we keep waiting.

Waiting to be ready.

Waiting to be chosen.

Waiting for permission.

Waiting until the timing feels perfect.

Waiting until the fear goes away.

Waiting until someone validates what God already planted inside of us.

Here’s what this journey has taught me plain and simple:

Almost Doesn’t Count.

Almost prepared.

Almost confident.

Almost bold enough to move.

Almost feels responsible.

Almost feels mature.

Almost feels safe.

But almost still buries the dream.

This training wasn’t really about learning how to speak.

It was about learning how to decide.

Deciding to stop sitting in neutral.

Deciding to stop rehearsing a life you never step into.

Deciding to move before everything makes sense.

Because clarity doesn’t come before movement.

Confidence doesn’t come before action.

Permission doesn’t come before obedience.

It comes after.

The truth is waiting has a cost.

It costs time you’ll never get back.

It costs momentum.

It costs belief.

It costs the version of you that could’ve existed if you moved sooner.

I’m done paying it.

So here’s the charge.

Not just for you but for me too.

Every morning.

Every noon.

Every night.

Basically anytime life isn’t going your way…

Say it out loud:

Dream.

Dare.

Do.

Let it remind you who you are.

Let it remind you what time it is.

The light is green. 

The moment is now.

Almost doesn’t count anymore.