“Don’t behave as if you are destined to live forever. What’s fated hangs over you. As long as you live and while you can, become good now.” – Marcus Aurelius
So many times we put things off until tomorrow. Or, wait to do things when the time is just right. We kill time or let time pass us by and before we know it, we are out of time. Why do we wait? Why don’t we get started on whatever it is that needs doing? Why don’t we spring to action and excitement at trying to build something new or chasing our dreams? Why wait at all?
We have a weird relationship with our identity. We refrain from doing things we enjoy and bring us much happiness because we fear failure. Or, further, we fear the judgment of failure from others who don’t know us or our story. Why? Why do we care so deeply about the judgment of a stranger who has zero impact on our lives? Is the safety of never trying, and never having that judgment cast on us really that safe? Is it really where we find peace and serenity? I say nay. That peace and comfort is short-lived. It compounds over time and we pay the price in our old age when we have the regret of never trying. The regret of never starting, building, or striving to become something bigger than who we currently are. That is a hefty price to pay and the cost isn’t realized until later in life.
So I challenge you, and myself, to try to become something bigger than what you are right now. Start small. Stay curious. Learn a lot. Continue to grow, and in time you will look back and realize how far you’ve come and all it took was you deciding to make the decision to change and become more.