made up

It happened again last week.

I was standing near the coffee counter after a long workshop day. One of the participants lingered back. Mid-career. Sharp mind. Good instincts. He spoke softly, almost apologetically, about a project he’d been postponing for years. A startup idea. A book. A change he could feel in his bones but hadn’t yet acted on.

He listed the usual reasons. Timing. Family. Market. Readiness.

I listened. I always do.

Then, without much thought, I said what I often say in these moments.

“Everything’s made up. And nothing matters.”

He laughed.

They always laugh.

Not because it’s funny.

But because it lands somewhere uncomfortable. Because part of them recognizes the truth before the mind rushes in to negotiate.