The Cost of Waiting: Why Delaying Change is Holding You Back

By Matt Codde – Founder of Restored Minds

Are you waiting for the “right time” to address your struggles with OCD, anxiety, or chronic stress? If so, you’re not alone. As someone who speaks with people every week on their recovery journey, I’ve come to see that “waiting” is a common hurdle—one that carries a hidden but powerful cost. In this post, I want to cut through the noise and share the true cost of waiting, and how it might be keeping you stuck in a smaller, more confined life.

The Illusion of the "Right Time"

Let’s get honest: it never feels like the right time to tackle big challenges. Fear will always tell you it’s best to wait—until tomorrow, next month, or when life is “less stressful.” But here’s the truth: thinking you need to wait for the perfect time is an illusion. It’s not about timing, it’s about our willingness to face discomfort and act anyway.

“What the issue is, is I don’t want to confront this experience. Waiting for the right time usually means I want to wait until this doesn’t feel like this.”
— Matt Codde

Putting off action feels safe and gives us temporary relief, but it doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, “waiting” is just a more comfortable word for hiding from discomfort.

The True Cost of Waiting

1. Time Cost

We all have a limited amount of time on this earth. Every day spent feeding fear and procrastination is a day lost—not just to anxiety or OCD, but to the experience of life itself. Problems don’t stay neutral. If left unaddressed, fear has a way of shrinking your world, one day at a time. The longer you wait, the smaller your life becomes.

“Waiting is not just, ‘Hey, I’m putting this off.’ Waiting is choosing a smaller life.”
— Matt Codde

2. The Prison of Fear

Fear acts like a prison. It convinces us we’re “getting by,” but deep down we know we’re missing out on things we want and need to do. Bit by bit, fear can build invisible walls that keep us from meaningful experiences and connections.

3. Opportunity Cost

The hardest thing to grasp when you’re caught in fear is the opportunity cost—all the amazing things that could happen if you weren’t stuck. These are the friendships, careers, or life adventures you never even know you’re missing because fear makes them seem invisible or impossible.

“You’ll never be able to see [opportunities] from the current plane that you’re looking at everything through… But once you overcome and transcend fear, you actually get to a plane where you can see the opportunities that open up and how quickly they really do.”
— Matt Codde

Opportunity doesn’t wait forever. The more you postpone, the more these doors quietly close.

The Trap of “Later”—And How to Break Free

It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll act “later”—in three months, after your next trip, or during summer break. But that habit of pushing change into the future can easily become permanent, and one day turns into never. Life in the “prison of fear” passes you by, opportunities fade, and nothing really changes.

The way out? You don’t have to be ready—just willing. Willing to act now, in your own best interest, even if it’s uncomfortable.

Time to Choose: Willingness Over Readiness

Every transformation starts the moment you decide, “I’m done. I can’t coexist with this anymore.” Don’t let fear rob you of another day, year, or decade. You don’t need to be perfectly ready—just willing to try, today.

If you’re searching for support to reclaim your life from OCD, anxiety, or stress, remember: the cost of waiting is too high, and the right time is always now.

If you found this message helpful, please like, subscribe, or leave a review. For more support, check out the resources at RestoredMinds.com.

Matt Codde is the founder of Restored Minds and the creator of the AAA Response. He is dedicated to helping people break free and reclaim their lives from fear-based conditions.