Have you ever considered how “the right timing” has influenced or affected your life?  I recall early in my career a time that my entire division at work was eliminated.  I was married with a son, a daughter on the way, had a mortgage, and suddenly was without a job.  It took several months to get a new job, but my wife and I marvel how that job came at “exactly the right time.”  In fact, just when we thought things were getting desperate, we had two job offers on the same day within an hour of each other.  Timing….

Our family has relocated several times during my career.  Unless you’ve done that, it is hard to explain all the complexities of selling a house, buying a new one, moving your household goods, new schools, new neighborhoods, utility hook-ups, etc.  During these moves, it always amazed us how we always seemed to hit the housing market when houses were selling slowly and prices were low.  It seemed our timing was always bad when these events occurred.  Timing….

I recall all the times when a new friend came along at “just the right time.”  Or, when a new job opportunity occurred because “I was at the right place at the right time.”  Or, I think of the impact timing had when I met my bride back in high school, or when I played sports, or when I began writing journal articles, or when we implemented a new system at work.  Timing plays a significant part of every one of our lives… sometimes the timing is in our favor and at other times it is not.

But, how much of these events of our lives were really impacted by timing, or by the preparation we had made in our lives.  Yes, losing a job is never good, but what I considered “bad timing” at the time, turned out perfectly in the end.  Losing that job early in my career launched my career in the pharmaceutical industry.  Had I remained in that job, I might have taken a completely different life path.

Being prepared to take advantage of the “timing events” of our lives is perhaps all we can personally control.  Preparing our career in a way that provides flexibility and mobility is solid preparation.  Planning for emergencies and contingencies at home is smart.  Making the best of unexpected events can turn bad timing into a significant turning point if we approach these events with an optimistic and persevering attitude.  Knowing that timing is not always on our side can help us mentally prepare for alternative approaches, alternative plans, and alternative ideas.

So, the bottom line is this….  Don’t view the negative events of your life as “bad timing.”  View them as opportunities to go in a new direction.  See them as events happening “at just the right time” to try something new or shift outside your comfort zone.  Many of my life’s greatest adventures have occurred as a result of things that might have been considered bad timing at the moment.

So, after all, today might be happening “at just the right time.”  Enjoy it!