the gift of now

Dear you,

I have been playing lots of games in the last few days - checkers and sudoku especially, and if I have learned anything, it is that only the living can fight or compete. Have you ever found yourself saving your best strategy or best skills for the last minute, and then your opponent swoops in and wins, or the computer wins you with average moves? It has happened to me so many times. The thing about the checkers game is if you play on the defensive, you are less likely to win. This is because you have to give pieces to get your opponent. You have to sacrifice one to get three. This also applies in Monopoly. People save their money to buy big properties instead of gradually building with what they have at hand and extending their existence. I was randomly thinking about it, and then I came across this tweet:

I am a big supporter of saving for a rainy day, but only people who are alive can spend their savings. You can build with what you have. Don't just save, be strategic. We truly only live once, but that's not an excuse to be reckless but an opportunity to be intentional. Think about extending your position. How can you get to the next step in your life? Buy extra time? Stay in the game? Because only people who stay in the game stand a chance of winning. So lately, I have stopped and thought, what can I do at this moment to help me get to the next step? How can I show up daily, using the resources I have to extend my resources (emotional, physical, social, financial "runway")? How can I give my best today while also being my best self? How can I live today like it was my last and best?

The future only exists for those who survive the present.

With love,

Blessing Abeng