No More Excuses: Your Time Starts Now By Odeta Rose

 If you’re waiting for the perfect moment to start — stop. That moment is already here.

We live in a world full of distractions, detours, and doubts. Excuses have become the currency of delay. “I’ll start tomorrow,” “I’m not ready yet,” or “I need more time” — these statements sound reasonable until you realize they’re just masks for fear. As someone deeply immersed in the creative world, I’ve seen this pattern time and again. Talented individuals holding themselves back, not because they lack ability, but because they believe the lie that they need permission to begin.

Let me be clear: you don’t need permission to start creating your life.

Whether you’re a painter, a poet, a business builder, or a dreamer who hasn’t quite found your medium yet, your journey starts with a single decision — to show up for yourself. Not tomorrow. Today. Right now.

I’ve built my career around creation — art, expression, events that celebrate beauty and humanity. I never miss an art exhibition or gallery opening because art, to me, is more than color and canvas. It is a mirror of potential. Each brushstroke in a painting began with a first move. So too must we take that first stroke toward our own masterpiece.

We owe it to ourselves to live fully. I say this not as someone who’s figured it all out, but as someone who refuses to let excuses become the architecture of regret. I’ve missed opportunities in the past because I hesitated. I’ve watched doors close because I waited for the “right time.” But eventually, I realized that the only difference between a life half-lived and one fully embraced is action.

It’s not about perfection — it’s about momentum.

You don’t need to know every step. You just need to take the next one. You don’t need a clear path; you need a clear choice — the choice to move forward.

Your art doesn’t have to be admired by the world for it to be worth making. Your business doesn’t have to be global for it to be meaningful. Your journey doesn’t need validation from others to matter. What it does need is your participation.

The truth is, we each have something that makes us come alive. For me, it’s the pulse of a gallery at night — the way creative energy fills a room, the stories told through sculpture, stroke, and song. That same energy exists within you. It might not look like mine. It might not look like anyone else’s. But it’s yours — and it’s waiting to be ignited.

So, ask yourself: What excuse have you been telling yourself lately?
Now ask: What would my life look like if I stopped believing that excuse?

Your time starts now.

Not next month. Not when the fear subsides. Not when the stars align. Now.

You don’t need more time. You need more truth. And the truth is: you are capable, worthy, and ready.

So, start. Write the first page. Sign up for the course. Open the studio door. Make the call. Sketch the idea. Speak your truth. Show your art. Say yes to your purpose. Say no to delay.

Because the world needs what only you can offer.
And the clock just struck now.

— Odeta Rose