Why “Later” Is Costing You More Than You Think
Holding It Together by a Thread
Why “Later” Is Costing You More Than You Think
I was on the floor.
My pinky toe was screaming — probably broken after smashing into the corner of my cherry wood bed frame.
I had been rushing.
Running late.
Moving too fast through my morning routine.
I don’t have time to deal with this right now, I thought as I pushed myself up.
I made it a millisecond.
Then I collapsed back down from the pain.
And that’s when it hit me.
Okay. I do have time to take care of myself. Right now.
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That moment came rushing back later when one of my clients arrived.
Not for her appointment.
For a business meeting.
She sat down and said she had woken up with back pain so intense she could barely move.
Then she added,
“Oh, I’m just going to suffer through it and deal with it later.”
She paused.
“I’ve been saying that for a really long time,” she said.
“That’s probably why it hurts so bad right now.”
Then she took thirty minutes to stretch and take care of herself before our meeting.
At the end of our time together, she said something I hear often:
“I’m holding it together by a thread. But I keep smiling, staying positive, and believing everything will work out.”
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Here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear:
Your body doesn’t respond to optimism alone.
You can be positive.
You can believe things will improve.
And you can still be ignoring the signals that matter most.
When your body needs you to stop, it will eventually make you stop.
That might look like a broken toe.
Or getting sick at the worst possible time.
Or losing strength in a hand you depend on for your livelihood.
Every one of those things has happened to me.
The question isn’t if your body will get your attention.
The question is whether you’ll listen before it forces the issue.
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When “Later” Never Comes
As massage therapists, we’re good at managing discomfort.
We work through soreness.
We adjust.
We compensate.
And because we’re skilled at helping others, we often assume we’ll handle ourselves later.
Later when things slow down.
Later when the schedule eases up.
Later when the pain is impossible to ignore.
But “later” has a habit of never arriving on its own.
It usually shows up as a breaking point.
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What I Did Instead
Sitting on my bedroom floor that morning, I did what I teach my students to do.
I worked on myself.
I used myofascial release techniques on my own body.
I found the restrictions in and around my toe.
I applied gentle pressure.
I stayed present.
I waited for the tissue to soften and release.
Then I followed where my body led next.
For ten to fifteen minutes, I paid attention.
The result?
I could walk.
There was minimal swelling and bruising.
My toe healed correctly and fairly quickly.
Not because I’m special.
Not because I have some kind of healing superpower.
But because I knew what to do — and I chose not to ignore myself.
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This Is the Work
This book isn’t about never getting hurt.
It’s about responding differently when you do.
It’s about recognizing when you’re holding it together by a thread — and choosing to intervene before that thread snaps.
As the CEO of your body, you don’t get points for pushing through.
You get results by paying attention.
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“Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world.”
— Miguel de Cervantes
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BOD-Ē-NOMICS Strategy
This week, notice where you’ve been saying later.
Not with judgment — with curiosity.
Ask yourself:
What signal has my body been sending that I’ve been managing instead of addressing?
What would it look like to take ten minutes now instead of dealing with a bigger problem later?
You already know more than you think.
The work is listening — and responding.
If this sounds familiar, this is exactly what we work on in Self-Focused Saturday — learning how to respond to your body before “later” turns into a bigger problem.
NOTE: This chapter is part of my upcoming second edition of BOD-Ē-NOMICS, written especially for massage therapists, but the lesson applies to anyone who uses their body to make a living.
