Time. We humans have a distinct under-appreciation for the concept.
Most of us tend to fritter it away thinking we have an abundant supply waiting in reserve. The truth is, all we have is a little block we like to call the present.
The ever-present now is the sum total of our allotment of time. Eventually, the nows are going to dwindle until there’s none left. Sorry to bum you out but it’s true.
There aren’t many things in life you can be certain of, one of them is we won’t get out of here alive. Death is a natural part of life. Just like the plants and flowers that perish in winter only to return full bloom in spring.
Death is inevitable. There’s no escaping it.
Fortunately for us, there is a way to enjoy the time we do have and that’s to seize the day and live our life to the fullest. And it’s not very hard to do. The secret is simple: take action.
Action is the catalyst of change. Action makes things happen. Action is the number one difference between a successful, happy life and one of despair and regret.
Go after your dreams and aspirations. Don’t live life like a jellyfish. Go after what you want. Why be afraid? So what if you fail the first time you try, everybody does. Get back up and go after it even harder, learning from your failures as you go.
I was watching the movie “Invincible” with Mark Wahlberg recently and in the film, Vince Papale, a 30-year old bartender, decides to try out for the Philadelphia Eagles.
At the urging of his friends, he goes to the tryout and earns a trip to training camp. While there, he takes his lumps, fails and gets back up and keeps on trying. The whole time in camp, Papale never believes that he can make the team so he keeps his bags packed for the entire duration. (You see, belief is not a requirement on the road to success. Many successful people suffered from huge bouts of self-doubt).
In the end, he makes the team and spends three seasons (1976-78) with the Eagles. The lesson of the film is two-fold: if you have a dream, goal or vision, take immediate, massive action and never give up until you reach it.
And that’s the way the game of life is to be played - all out with no remorse or regret. Live it to the fullest and leave nothing left in your tank when the end does come.
I don’t care how poor or down you are right now, you can change your life in an instant by setting a goal and taking persistent action to achieve it. Life is the greatest gift there is. It is meant to be enjoyed and savored, especially with loved ones, not hard and bitter.
It’s our attitudes and perceptions that make life either a heaven or a hell and if yours is a hell right now, you have the the power to change it. Look for the good and beautiful in life and goodness and beauty will appear.
Don’t let your most precious asset, time, pass you by. Grab for the brass ring and make every moment count.
One realizes the full importance of time only when there is little of it left. Every man’s greatest capital asset is his unexpired years of productive life. – P.W. Litchfield
