Ep 12 Procrastination Is Expensive: The Hidden Cost of Waiting on the “Right Time”

Why do we procrastinate?

Most people say they are waiting on the right time.
But the truth is… the right time rarely shows up.

Procrastination is not usually about laziness.
It is often rooted in fear, overwhelm, uncertainty, or the pressure to be perfect.

In this episode of Life, Finance, & Real Estate with KirbyTheRealtor, we get to the heart of what is really holding people back.

Because sometimes the biggest thing standing between you and the life you want…is simply the decision to start.

We break down how procrastination silently costs you more than you realize. Not just in time, but in opportunities, finances, and growth.

And we shift the mindset from waiting… to moving.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Why procrastination is often connected to fear
• The difference between preparation and avoidance
• How small actions create real momentum
• Why waiting can cost you more than trying
• Practical ways to move past hesitation and take action

Sometimes the problem is not your ability.
Sometimes the problem is the delay.

And the life you want is on the other side of action.

📻 Tune in at 12 NOON
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Get in the room.
Let’s lead differently.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:26

This is your girl, Kirby the Realtor, and welcome back to Life Finance and Real Estate. Yes, it is me. Listen, before we even start today, I want to take a moment to say thank you. First, I want to thank you. Thank you, Lord, for the voice you have given me to share with the world. But then, y'all, I want to say thank you to everyone who tunes in every single week. To the ones that's been with me since December. Thank you to the listeners who send emails, texts, and phone calls. Thank you to the people who share encouraging words, who share feedback, and who ask the questions. I want you to know that I truly, truly appreciate it because this show exists to serve you. And last week, y'all, something happened that really touched my heart that I want to share real quick. I met a couple who didn't know me personally, but they recognized my voice. And I knew that they did because I was on the phone with the client. I was on the phone and I heard my name and I smiled and I waved at them. But when I got off that phone, I was like, hey, how are you girls? How do you know me? Because I heard them say my name and then they said Kirby the realtor. And they said the radio. And y'all, that moment really humbled me because it reminded me that this show is reaching people I may never meet face to face. People are actually listening, that are driving to work, they're um cooking dinner, people that are on their lunch breaks, they're folding clothes, they're washing clothes, people listening while they're trying to figure out life, they're trying to figure out their finances, they're trying to figure out their future. And y'all, I am so so so grateful for that because I truly believe that God is pleased when we use our voices and our and our platforms to help others. And if something I say on this show helps someone think differently or make better decisions or take a step towards ownership, then I know that I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for the encouragement, and thank you for being a part of this journey. Now, if this is your first time listening, welcome to the family. This is Life Finance and Real Estate where we talk about life decision, financial discipline, and real estate ownership and how all three work together so that you can own a piece of America. Now, y'all, today's episode is gonna be very impactful because we're gonna talk about something that quietly drains dreams, it delays your destinies and it costs you money every single day. And it's fear, it's procrastination, it's standing still, and sometimes people think standing still is a safe option, they think doing nothing is a safe option. But listen, standing still can actually become one of the most expensive decisions a person can make because while you're standing still, life is gonna continue to keep moving, the prices will continue to rise, and opportunities will continue to keep passing you by. But before we move forward, let's take a look back. We're gonna recap last week's episode, last week episode 11. We talked about understanding money so that money can work from you, and we heard it from Mr. Charles himself, my financial advisor. And he was letting us know it's not how hard you hustle, not the grind, but understanding how money actually behaves. Because when you understand how money works, you start controlling your money instead of your money controlling you. And if you've been following me, you know I talk about that what I spend sheet a lot, and I tell you, um, and the budget, but I tell you it's better to know, it's better to tell your money where to go instead of you trying to figure out where your money is going. So, how money works, start controlling your money instead of your money controlling you. We talked about four things last week. We talked about the power of the dollar, we talked about what inflation really means, why Roth IRAs matter, and the difference between stocks and mutual funds. Now, we had a little fun with the stocks and mutual funds. He told y'all how to look those up on on Google, and that was quite insightful. So these four things I want you to write them down: the power of the dollar, why inflation, what inflation really means, why Roth IRAs matter, and the difference between stocks and mutual funds. Because many of these things were never taught to us growing up, okay. Okay, so we started with something very simple, and it was the dollar. And I say it's simple because most people feel like the dollar isn't powerful. They feel like, oh, the dollar ain't nothing, you can't buy nothing with a dollar, and whatever. Let me tell y'all something. The dollar is very easy to spend and easy to overlook, but the dollar is powerful because of what it represents. A dollar represents your time. A dollar represents my time, a dollar represents your time, your effort, your energy, your life hours. Let me give you an example. I'm gonna let you see what this looks like. Now, I'm gonna give you some numbers, but you can plug in your numbers. If you earn$25 an hour,$25 an hour, and every$25 you spend equals one hour of your life. Okay, so you earn$25 an hour. So let's say if you do$30 an hour, then you will stick it there. If you do 19, you'll stick it in that number. But we're gonna do$25 to keep it simple so that you can add, okay? If you earn$25 an hour, every$25 you spend equals one hour of your life. So a hundred dollar in-post purchase costs you four hours of your life. Those$100 shoes that you did not need, that steak and lobster that you did not leave, but if you think about it, and when you spend it, it costs you four hours of your life. That changes how you see money because listen, money is not just paper, money is stored time, and when you spend it without intentions, you are spending your life. Let me make this real for one second. Think about the last time you bought something you didn't really need. Okay, maybe it was something online, maybe it was something quick that you ran to the store to get, maybe it was something you don't even remember buying now. Now think about how many hours you work to earn that money. Think about it. Because once you start connecting your money to time, your decisions begin to change, and you stop asking the question, can I afford this? And you start asking better questions like, is this worth my time? Because time is the one thing you can never get back. You can't get time back. All of us remember that. You can't get time back. Let me slow down for just a second because a lot of things, a lot of things we talk about is things that we weren't taught that I wasn't taught growing up. We knew how to save money, and but we weren't taught the things or the questions to ask. Most people were taught how to make money. But we didn't we weren't taught how to think about money. We weren't taught, we were taught how to work hard, pay bills, keep moving, get a job. When you get the job, you're gonna work hard. When you work hard, you get your paycheck, you pay your bills, repeat. Get a job, work hard, pay bills, repeat. But nobody really sat us down and said, I want you to always remember every dollar you spend represents hours of your life. Nope, I don't think anyone on here can tell me that. Now, if they did, you were blessed. But I no one that I have spoken with was ever told that every dollar you spend represents hours of your life. So when you buy something, you don't really need, it's not just money leaving your checking account, it's hours off of your life leaving your future. It's hours of your life leaving your future. If someone works eight hours a day and earns$200 that day, and you done worked eight hours and you earn$200, and then you turn around, get off work, you spend$200, and a week later you're trying to figure out where that money went, that means the whole day of your life was exchanged for something temporary because you don't even know where your money went. But when that same money is used to invest, to build credit, to move towards ownership, that money begins working for you. So the question becomes, are your dollars working for you? Or are your dollars leaving you? Because every dollar has a job. And if you don't give your money instructions, instructions or directions, it disappears without permission. Your money ain't gonna answer you, are you okay if I disappear? It disappears without permission. Okay, next we talked about inflation. We talked about what inflation really means. Inflation means your money loses buying power over time. See, things cost more, but your dollars don't grow on their own. So that money sitting in that checking account and just sitting there, sitting in a safe deposit box, sitting in your drawer, it's just sitting there. It's shrinking in value. There's no, it's not doing anything, it's just sitting there. See, 10 years ago, you could have taken$100 and filled your grocery cart. And this 10 years ago, I'm trying to think back 10 years ago. I don't even think we could feel it then, but we're gonna go with that. Today, the same 100 might feel it halfway. That's inflation. See, I went to the grocery store on um yesterday. No, I went to the grocery store Tuesday. Tuesday was taco Tuesday. Went to the grocery store, I got ground beef, I got onions, bell peppers, I got cheese and um pico, I got queso, and I got the um tortilla shell. I think I spent about 30, 35 bucks, right? Now, 10 years ago, it probably would have only took me 13 to 16 dollars to buy all of that. That's it. That's inflation. Inflation shows up in the grocery store, inflation shows up at the gas pump. We are all feeling that. Trust me, I'm feeling it. Inflation shows up and rent increases. And if your income continues to stay the same while these prices rise, your lifestyle slowly gets squeezed, and that's why financial education matters. The goal is not just for you to earn money, the goal is to position your money so it grows faster than inflation. Let me say that again. Your goal should not just be to earn money, the goal should be to position your money to so that it grows faster than inflation. Now, we talked about um Roth RAs thirdly. Well, Roth IRAs is a retirement account where you invest money now and it grows over time, and then you withdraw it later tax-free, right? Let me give you an example. If you invest$200 starting at the age of 25 and you stay consistent, that money can grow into$200. No, that money can grow into thousands of dollars over time, right? Small consistent moves equals big long-term results. It's that simple. It's retirement. Invest$200 a month. I didn't say you start and then start back. You have to do this consistently.$200 a month. That money begins to grow and it can turn to thousands over time. That was the Roth IRAs. Now, stock virtues versus um mutual funds. Stocks mean you're buying a piece of one company. If that company grows, your investment grows. If that company struggles, then your investment drops. You got higher risk, but you also have higher reward potential. Now the mutual funds, I call them a look, they're it's a little safer, right? Safer. Your mutual funds are different, they spread your money across many companies. So instead of getting betting on one business, you invest in a group, and that lowers your risk because your money isn't tied to one outcome. Don't you think of it like this? Stock is putting all your hope in that one player, and a mutual fund is investing in the whole team, right? That's how you can look at it, that's how you can decipher. And that brings us to today's real question. If we understood money like we should, why do so many people still delay making better financial decisions? Why do people wait years to invest? Why do people wait years to buy property? Why do people wait years to change their financial habits? Why? And if we can get a little personal, you can say, why do I delay making financial decisions? Why do I fail forget? Well, I ain't gonna say forget, but why do I procrastinate and not uh fill out the what I spend sheet and um create a budget? Why? Why do people wait years to do these things? And that answer usually comes down to three things: fear, procrastination, and standing still, and that's what we're gonna talk about today. Experience is the hardest teacher. Yeah, yeah, I heard that. Experience is the hardest teacher, but it's also the best teacher. Why is it the best teacher, Kirby? Well, let me tell you because it gives you the test first and the lesson afterwards. Think about that. Experience is the hardest teacher, but it's also the best teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson after it. In school, we get lessons, homework, study, then we test, right? But see, life life flips it. Life gives you the test first, then the experience, then the lesson, then the growth. You either win or you learn. Okay, I know we used to hear into win or lose, but you're gonna either win or you're gonna learn. You're gonna learn life lessons. So you get tested and then you learn afterwards. So let me give you an example. How many of you, how many of you have done things and you was like, man, that was rough. We made it, but I bet you I won't do it like that anymore. Mm-hmm. We went through that test, we went through those trials, we went through that storm, but we learned a lesson in the middle of it. We learned what to do and what not to do, right? There's so many things that I learned on this journey these last four years of owning real estate brokers. There's so many things that I learned not to do, or things that I learned to do better. I went through those tests and those trials and I learned from them. And I'm grateful for them, but experience taught me that, right? If I haven't, if I hadn't experienced those situations or those issues, I wouldn't have learned, right? So that's how you have to look at that. So let's talk about procrastination. How do we overcome procrastination and the things we want to do? Okay, first think about the worst thing that could happen if it does not work, then think about the best thing that could happen if it does. And then I want you to look at both sides. Somebody right now is faced with a dilemma. Somebody right now is trying to figure out what if I don't do it or what if I do do it. Look at both sides. Because even if something does not work, now you know what needs to be done to fix it. Okay? So that's the part about procrastination. You, if it doesn't work, if you tried and it doesn't work, now you know what to do to fix it. But if you never try, you'll never know, right? See, one time I was speaking with someone, and it was a couple of years back, we were in a room, and um somebody made a comment that said, Um, procrastination is my problem. And then another person proceeded to say, no, it's not. And then they were like, Well, explain. And this person said, Well, let me ask you something. If I told you for five days straight, if you showed up to work at 5 a.m., on time at 5 a.m., not pulling up, but in the office at 5 a.m. for five days straight, I will give you a million dollars. Would you do it? And that person said, absolutely. And the response for the other person was like, see, procrastination is not your problem. There's another issue here, and that issue is entitlement issue. That issue is you didn't have a reward on the other end. If there was a reward, then you would do it. So you have to look at procrastination in different ways. So today we have to get to the heart of it. We are going to find out why you procrastinate, and we're going to give you some solutions to help you move past it. Most of the time, it comes down to three things. First, fear. Fear. Fear that it will not work, fear of failing, fear of what people might think. So instead of risking failure, people delay action. Secondly, being overwhelmed. Sometimes the goal is so big that we don't even know where to start. When something feels too big, the mind pushes it aside and says, I'll deal with it later. And thirdly, perfectionism. A lot of us, a lot of us deal with this one. You want everything to be perfect before you move forward. You want all the pieces in place before you move forward. A lot of people procrastinate because they want everything to be perfect before they start. Perfect time, perfect knowledge, perfect plan. But here is the truth progress never begins with perfection. So, how do we move past procrastination? Here are just some simple solutions. First, you make your task come all and instead of saying, I'm gonna change my whole life, say today I'm going to take one step. Second, schedule the action. It's not just on your calendar, it usually does not happen. So you have to make sure it's on your calendar. I know oftentimes one of my mentors says, Hey, what's what's how what's your schedule looking like? And I'm like, I ain't gonna Yeah, you gotta get better with that. But schedule the action. If it's not on your calendar, it usually does not happen. Third, accept and perfect. Protection actions. Done is better than perfect. Movement creates momentum. And finally, remember the cost of waiting. Remember that procrastination always costs something. And sometimes it costs time. Sometimes it costs opportunities. Sometimes it costs money. So the real question is not, can I afford to start? Sometimes the real question is, can I afford to keep waiting? Let me ask you something. If someone said walk 30 minutes a day, and in six months your body will change. Some people quit in two weeks, not because it doesn't work, but because the reward feels so far away. And that's how ownership feels. Ownership works the same way. Equity grows slowly, credit builds gradually, confidence develops over time, but the reward is real. It's real. Fear is expensive. And sometimes people don't realize just how expensive fear really is. Fear can cost money when you delay making the decisions. It can cost money when you delay investing. It costs you money when you delay fixing your credit. It costs you money when you delay learning, or just simply asking questions. Because while you're waiting, life keeps moving. Somebody else gets an idea and they move. While you're waiting, the prices continue to rise, opportunities keep passing. Now let me show you what it looks like in real life. Let's use real estate as an example because real estate is one of the clearest ways to see how standing still can cost you. You are going to pay for a property. Either way it goes, you're either paying your mortgage or you're paying your landlord's mortgage. Every rent payment you make is helping someone else build equity. Every month that goes by, somebody else's investment is growing. So the real question becomes are you building ownership for yourself or are you helping someone else build theirs? And that's why standing still can become so expensive because while you're standing still, the world keeps moving forward. Fear has stopped more people from building wealth than the lack of money ever has. Fear. Fear, that word fear. Fear has stopped more people from building wealth than the lack of money ever has. See, someone says, I'll start investing when I make more money. I'll start saving when I make more money. Then they say, I'll start when I learn more. Then they say, I'll start when the market feels safer. I'll start when the interest rate goes down. And before they realize it, five years have passed, and that is how fear quietly delays your progress. One of my favorite, favorite leadership teachers, John Maxwell, wrote a book called Failing Forward. I want you to get this book and I want you to read it. But I don't want you to rush through the book. I want you to read it slowly, highlight, write some things down. But I also want you to apply it, apply it to your life because failure is not the opposite of success. That's what he says in this book. Failure is part of success. Every mistake teaches you, every setback prepares you, and every lesson strengthens you. Every time, um, everything we talk about today, from fear to procrastination, standing still, it's not just it's not just a financial thing, y'all. It's a spiritual thing too. See, sometimes I think people forget. People sometimes they're waiting for everything to feel perfect before they move. But faith has never acted that way. Faith requires movement. The Bible says in James 2 and 17, faith without works is what did. In other words, belief alone is not enough. There has to be action attached to it. And then over in Proverbs, it says, uh, what was it? Proverbs 24 and 16 reminds us that the righteous fall seven times and then they rise again. So the righteous fall seven times, they rise again. That means failing is not failure. Getting back up, y'all, is a part of the process. So whether you're talking about life, whether you're talking about finances or real estate, the principle is all the same. Faith requires movement. You may not ever, you may not know every answer. You may not feel completely ready. But listen, when you move, when you move, you move your life forward. You move your life forward. Everything I'm teaching y'all, everything I talk to y'all week by week, I've lived it. I've lived it. I've been through it. I've felt the fear. I felt the defeat. I felt the delays. I felt the setbacks, the wins, the losses, the lessons. But guess what? I kept doing I kept moving. I didn't stay stagnant. I didn't become paralyzed because something didn't work. I kept moving. I kept trusting God. I kept going. I kept stepping out on faith. I kept putting action. I kept putting action behind everything I did. I oftentimes I tell people, if I don't bet on nobody else, I'ma bet on Kirby. I'm going to bet on myself because I know that Kirby's not going to give up. I know that Kirby's gonna figure it out. I'm gonna bet on myself or I bet on anybody else. I kept moving, y'all. This week, this week, this week, I want to challenge you. Because if I challenge you to save$5 a week. I challenge you not to go to Starbucks. I challenge you not to go to Salmon Brew. I challenge you to get counseling. I challenge you to get accountability partners and to write things down and to read certain books. This week, read one chapter. If you can't read a whole book, read a chapter. Ask that question you've been meaning to ask. Check your credit. Go sit with the lender. Get a financial advisor. Take this step. Listen, I am Kirby the realtor, and I'm here to help you. And remember this ownership isn't just about real estate. Ownership is about owning your decisions, ownership of your money, ownership of your future. Because the moment you stop waiting, the moment you stop standing still, and the moment you start moving forward, that's the moment your life begins to change. And that's how you begin to own a piece of America. Listen, guys, I appreciate you taking out time to listen with um to me today and to just share. Just just being here means a lot. And I appreciate you all. Um, until then, let's let's chat next week. Come back next week for some more nuggets. We may have a special guest, you just never know. So, hey, if you got any questions, if you got any feedback, if you got something that you want to hear discuss, listen, send me an email to Kirby the Realtor at gmail.com. You can send me that email and I will respond uh within 48 hours, if not sooner. But y'all listen, there's if there's something we need to discuss, I know some other things we got coming down the pipeline discussing how to handle your affairs and just you know different things, y'all. This is things that we need to learn that we weren't taught that you didn't know to ask. And I'm just I'm excited. I'm excited, I'm glad to have you guys along for the ride. Um, one last thing. We are, you can catch the replays um at 6 p.m. if you're listening on a Thursday. But if you're listening at the YouTube, we're on YouTube, we're on Apple Podcasts, we're on iHeartRadio, Amazon Music. Um, you can catch the replays the week after it airs on the radio. But again, until next time, bye for now. See you soon.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Thank you for tuning in to Life, Finance, and Real Estate with Kirby the Realtor. You can catch us every Thursday at 12 p.m. on 92.1 WJMG, 93.1 WGDQ. And also you can listen live at 921 WJMG.com or 931 WGDQ.com. If you happen to miss the live recording, don't fret. We'll replay it at 6 p.m. tonight. Thank you once again for listening to Life, Finance, and Real Time.