In waiting for an event, we can become fixated on the T-minus indicator. Like a countdown until liftoff.

T-minus one week until I improve my diet. T-minus one year until I apply to grad school. T-minus one dependent until I write a book.

But this isn’t aerospace. Often, there’s no need to wait. We can skip straight to liftoff if we choose.

Then, we’re counting the T-plus — the mission elapsed time.

T-plus two weeks since I began therapy. T-plus one month since I started exercising. T-plus a year since I started sharing my work with others.

We only begin to see what happens after we let ourselves depart from the launchpad.