Ask Rory Marinich

How would you go about doing a thing which you have been putting off your whole life?

What’s there stopping you from doing it? Whatever it is, get rid of it and keep going.

If it’s apathy or laziness, tell yourself to do it anyway — then actually do it. If this is something that you’re worried about for other people’s sake, brace yourself for their disapproval and do it, and know that in most cases people are more accepting and more forgiving than you’re telling yourself. The ones that aren’t have got issues of their own, so sympathize for them and get out of their way.

I can’t be much help without knowing the sort of thing you’re asking about, but most of the time doing something is just a matter of finally doing it. Get rid of all the distractions. (This is a petty example: When I realized I was spending entire days in front of my laptop, I started unplugging it while I used it, so that every few hours it would turn off and I’d have to start doing other things.) If there’s something else preventing you from starting, deal with that, also.

I have to include a disclaimer that if by “doing a thing” you mean murdering family members, you might first ask yourself if this thing you’ve been putting off will hurt people or make the world a worse place. But hopefully this is a little less deep than that.