​Stacy is starting middle school this year. We’re going to hold off on lessons for a couple months until things settle down.
​It’s junior year, standardized testing season is coming, and sports are picking up. We’re going to hold off on lessons until things settle down.
​We’re moving to the next town over. We’re going to pause lessons until things settle down after the move.
​I just started a new job, and it’s pretty demanding. I’m going to hold off until I’m settled, then I’ll be back.
We’ve heard all of these before. Many times, in fact. And just about every time, we never see the student again. Or if the piano student returns, it’s a short-lived return.
There is a peril in waiting for things to settle down.
Because things never do settle down. The obligations are always there. Life will always be unpredictable. There will always be transitions from school to school, job to job, or house to house.
The idea of being “settled” is something that happens in the mind. It’s what you make of the situation.
Ironically, pressing pause on an activity that requires practice should be something that makes you unsettled. Because you’re disrupting your streak.
When and if you summon the courage to go back to it, there will be ground to make up. And most of the time, when people realize the time that’s been lost, they throw in the towel for good.
Don’t wait for things to settle down.
Instead, alter your mindset to make the present settled. Change your schedule to make the present settled. Heck, take a few minutes to decide what your definition of “settled” even is.
Because if you wait for the world to settle down before you start living, then you may as well be dead.