The Round TOIT

As a child, I spent a lot of time in church learning about the Bible and my faith.

Out of all the lessons I learned, one Sunday school lesson has stayed with me more than most.

Even though it had very little to do with religion.

One Sunday morning, while we were sitting in Sunday school, our teacher started handing each of us a small circle cut out of plain, tan paper.

She didn't explain what it was. She simply passed them out and told us we each needed to have one.

We looked down at what we were holding.

It was just a circle with four letters written on it.

TOIT.

We looked around the room, confused, trying to figure out what it meant.

Once everyone had one, she explained.

It was a round TOIT.

If you have ever heard someone say, "I'll get around to it," then you already know the meaning behind it.

The lesson was simple. People have a habit of putting things off.

We tell ourselves we'll do something later. We'll start when we have more time. Or take action when the timing feels right.

For effect, I wish she had made them like coins instead of just pieces of paper because I'm sure I would still have mine today.

That little circle of paper was a reminder that sometimes the reason we don't get something done is because we keep waiting for the right moment.

But as an Adult, I Realize Those Excuses Don't Really Change

But as an adult, I realize those excuses don't really change.

They just sound different.

"I'll start that project when I have more time."

"I'll create content when I know exactly what I'm doing."

"I'll launch my idea when everything is perfect."

We convince ourselves we're waiting for the right time, but many times we're simply delaying the first step.

That little piece of paper didn't magically get anything done.

It wasn't the paper that completed the task.

It was the reminder behind it.

Once you had a round TOIT, you couldn't say you were waiting to get one anymore.

As a child, I thought it was just a clever lesson from Sunday school.

But as an adult, I realize it was really a lesson about mindset.

How often do we hold ourselves back because we're waiting for more confidence, more knowledge, or more certainty?

How many things never happen because we keep telling ourselves we'll start someday?

The truth is, progress rarely comes from waiting until everything is perfect.

It comes from deciding to begin.

I never kept that little paper circle from Sunday school.

I wish I had.

Not because it was valuable.

Because every once in a while, we all need the reminder.

Sometimes the only thing standing between you and the thing you want to accomplish is getting your own round TOIT.