The Cavalry Isn't Coming: The Art of Self-Rescue in a World of Waiting

The greatest lie we tell ourselves?

"I'm just waiting for the right moment."

In 1961, at 26 years old, Diana Nyad stood on a beach in Florida, staring at the horizon. Her dream? Swimming from Cuba to Florida—a feat experts deemed impossible.

For 50 years, she waited. For perfect conditions. For better technology. For someone to prove it was possible.

At 76, she realized something profound: The cavalry wasn't coming.

No one was going to make the waters calmer. No one was going to make the jellyfish kinder. No one was going to make the distance shorter.

So she stopped waiting.

At age 64, she became the first person to complete the swim. Without a shark cage. 110 miles. 53 hours of continuous swimming.

The lesson? Your dreams don't expire, but your time to start does. The only question is: Will you decide before time decides for you?

The Moment of Truth

There's a moment that defines every journey worth taking. You're standing at the base of your personal Everest - it could be a career pivot, a family hardship, or yes, that brutal hill on your morning run that seems to mock you with its incline. Your chest tightens. Your mind races through a highlight reel of excuses. And somewhere in that spiral of hesitation, you convince yourself of waiting.

Waiting for the perfect moment. The right mentor. The magical breakthrough. The cavalry.

Let me save you some time: The cavalry is not coming.

The Waiting Game: A Modern Epidemic

We've become masters of sophisticated waiting. We dress it up in productivity apps, vision boards, and carefully curated Instagram feeds of success stories. We call it "strategic planning" or "building momentum" or "waiting for the right opportunity." But strip away the big words, and what remains is the same old story: stalling disguised as preparation.

Think about the last time you stood at the bottom of a hill—literal or metaphorical. Did you find yourself scanning the horizon for signs of rescue? For someone to come along and make it easier? For that perfect wave of motivation to crash over you?

I've been there. We all have.

The Decision Point

Your dreams don't expire, but your time to start does. The only question is: Will you decide before time decides for you?

This isn't just motivational wordplay—it's a fundamental truth about personal transformation. Every day you make excuses is a day closer to losing the opportunity completely. Time will pass whether you take action or not. Each "tomorrow" becomes another "yesterday" where nothing changed. Eventually, the weight of accumulated inaction becomes harder to bear than taking action.

Here's the hidden truth about excuses: they're really just delayed decisions. They're temporary comfort zones that become permanent prisons. Each excuse is a choice to stay the same while hoping for different results. Excuses feel like protection but actually become limitations.

The real decision point isn't about when your excuses expire, it's about when YOU decide they've expired. The expiration date isn't set by time, but by your decision. It's the moment you decide that the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of change.

The Liberation of Abandonment

Here's the plot twist: The absence of cavalry is your greatest advantage. When you truly internalize that no one is coming to rescue you, something remarkable happens. The energy you've been pouring into waiting, hoping, and scanning the horizon suddenly has nowhere to go but forward.

The Self-Rescue Protocol

This isn't just philosophy, this is strategy. After years of waiting, failing, and finally learning to rescue myself, I've developed a three-step protocol that turns self-rescue from an idea into action.

1. Break the Waiting Cycle: The 5-Minute Rule

Most of us believe we need to "feel motivated" to start something. This is the first lie that keeps us waiting for rescue. The truth? Action precedes motivation. Every. Single. Time.

I've implemented the 5-Minute Rule in my own life, and it's transformed how I approach everything. The concept is simple: commit to just 5 minutes of action on any task you're avoiding. No expectations, no pressure—just 5 minutes of movement.

What happens next is almost magical: those 5 minutes often extend into 30, 60, or more. Why? Because starting is the hardest part. Once you're in motion, you tend to stay in motion. This isn't just Newton's First Law—it's the first law of self-rescue.

• Most believe motivation leads to action. Wrong. Action creates motivation.

• Start with just 5 minutes.

• No pressure, no expectations—just start.
  

2. Own Your Power Hour: Execute Before Excuses

The world will take every hour you don't deliberately claim for yourself.

I learned this the hard way, watching my dreams get pushed aside by self-made distractions, overthinking, and inability to fully commit. As well as the "urgent" demands of others. The solution? Claim your Power Hour.

When it comes to writing, I choose the early morning, before my family wakes up and before I start work. But here's the key - it doesn't have to be morning. Maybe your power hour is at midnight, or during your lunch break. The time doesn't matter. What matters is that you claim it, protect it, and use it for what matters most to you.

This isn't about perfect routines; it's about proving to yourself, first thing, that you're in control. One hour of deliberate action sets a tone that transforms your entire day.

• Claim one untouchable hour daily for your biggest priority - be it a personal passion or important project for work.

• Time of day doesn't matter—own what works for you.

• No phone. No distractions. No negotiations.

3. The Power of Focused Goals: Less is More

Here's a truth that transformed my approach to achievement: constraint creates power. Most people dilute their energy across too many objectives, creating a scattered approach that leads nowhere. There's a reason they say, "If you want something done, ask a busy person." Busy people have mastered the art of focused execution because they understand that scarcity of time demands clarity.

The 3-Goal Method has revolutionized my execution rate. It requires some focused attention and concentration. I like to push my laptop aside and put nothing but a clean sheet of paper in front of me.

Take a minute to think about your top priorities and choose three goals for your day. Make sure they’re significant enough to matter but specific enough to track. Everything else becomes secondary or gets eliminated. This constraint forces creativity and efficiency in execution.

• Write down your top 3 priorities each morning before opening your inbox.

• Complete your most challenging priority first, while your energy is highest.

• Cross off each item as you complete it - what gets measured gets done.

The Summit Perspective

From the top of the hill, everything looks different.

Not because the landscape has changed, but because you have.

The person who reaches the summit is not the same person who started at the base. They've been transformed by the very act of climbing, by the decision to move forward without guarantee or rescue.

This is the essence of true growth: Not waiting for someone to show you the way, but forging your own path, step by step, breath by breath.

Your Personal Cavalry

The next time you find yourself at the base of a hill, whether it's a pre-dawn training run or a life-changing decision, remember this:

The cavalry isn't coming, and that's the best news you'll get all day. Because it means you're free. Free from waiting, free from permission, and free from the need for perfect conditions.

Start with 5 minutes. Claim your power hour. Focus on three goals that matter.

You are your own cavalry. Your legs, your lungs, your will. These are your rescue team. And they've been ready all along, waiting not for external signals but for you to finally give the order to advance.

Will you?

Run…the…hills.

Chas