If not now, then when?
There is often something that we have meant to do in life we continually put off until tomorrow because of the potential consequences. Perhaps we are too busy, or maybe we are afraid of the price we pay, to do this thing. The fact that there is change involved and change is a scary thing because nobody really can guarantee you that whatever you are looking to do will, in fact, make your life experience all that much better.
This fear is enough to stop many adventurous people from pursuing a new adventure, but should it? Isn’t the point of life to stretch ourselves and create all that we are capable of? Or is it just a game of accumulation, the one with the most possessions at the end wins?
The short answer, I believe, is life is about growth, because you can have everything in the world and not achieve happiness, you can know that you are producing something unique, in a voice that no one else has, be totally broke and still be happy. So if you look to stretch yourself, you have to ask yourself, if not now, then when?
All Great Things
Most of the great things that man has ever accomplished were created by taking a chance and changing the status quo. In fact, there is really no place in your life that you can look
that life hadn’t changed radically from their existence even fifty years ago.
Socially there was still legal segregation in the United States, and it was considered bad by the establishment to listen to Elvis. What would they think of Jay-Z or Katy Perry or the fact that the current president of the US is African-American?
Now with Technology
Technologically we have gone from the television being a new thing, with three channels, to a massive entertainment source that you can watch on your phone. Speaking of phones, if you had told me that I would have my own Star Trek communicator that I carried around with me all the time, I would never have believed it.
The phone was attached to the wall, and you had to be home to use it. Our current phones would really be science fiction. What if Steve Jobs had said, “Not today world, we don’t need a cool hand-held phone that talks to you.” We would be lost completely.
These things never existed and never would have existed if it wasn’t for the fact that someone thought, if not now, then when?
Are You Living in the Moment?
So when it comes to your personal life, if not now, when? When you look at your life, and you see or even more significantly feel that something needs to change, it can be difficult to take the plunge.
Maybe you are hoping that things will change on their own, or you will feel differently tomorrow. However, if you are always looking to tomorrow for things to get better or improve, you may be missing out on something, a great opportunity for happiness today.
Putting off your own happiness is not a good thing because you were not put on the Earth to be miserable with life. Saying I will start being happy when the kids are grown, or after the autumnal equinox or when my next birthday comes, or some other random event you are resigning yourself to wait for.
This is a prime example of not living in the moment because I have said many times. There is no guarantee that you will be around until the next autumnal equinox or even until tomorrow, for that matter. Today is all that there is, and now is the only time you are sure to have. If you wait, it may well be too late. It is OK to be afraid; everyone is afraid, but those who find success learn to deal with the fear and move forward anyway.
There will come the point in your life when you have to cross your Rubicon and challenge what you need to challenge, change what you need to change, or create what you need to create. Then and only then will you be in control of your life and your decisions.
So if not now, when?
Wiped Out
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