Why NOW is the New LATER

“The thing is, we think we have time.” – Buddha

My dad thought he had time. His dream was to visit all the National Parks when he retired. He worked six-seven days a week most of his life. He was an honorable man who was committed to making an enduring difference for the people he worked with and for.

He achieved that goal. But at a cost.

Dad finally took off on his long-delayed dream a week after he retired. A week after that, he had a stroke in a hotel bathroom. He eventually recovered, but never got to visit Banff, Zion or Bryce. He never got to do what he wanted to do his whole life.

I don’t want that to happen to me.

I don’t want that to happen to you.

I don’t want that to happen to anyone.

Right now, please change the way you think about TIME.

Are you assuming you'll have time to do what you want later when you're not so busy?

Please understand, you will never have more time than you have right now.

As Mark Cuban says, "Time is the most valuable asset you don't own."

A colleague confessed she feels a bit guilty for taking two weeks "off" for a family vacation. She told me, “I feel bad leaving in the middle of summer, that's our busiest time.”

What’s that about?! When are we going to learn that doing what we love with people we love isn't taking time OFF WORK, it’s taking time ON LIFE?

It's not selfish, it's smart to do something we enjoy that re-energizes us.

Not only does it help us re-engage with what puts the light on in our eyes, it sets a positive precedent that gives permission to the people around us to do the same. 

Having fun is not something to do only when our work is done. It is a way to celebrate the gift of being alive, right here, right now.

 These 20 quotes can remind us the clock is ticking so we stop procrastinating on who and what is important.

Post a favorite where you'll see it every day to remind yourself to stop waiting for the right time. Now is the right time... not later. After all, if not later, when?

12  Motivating Quotes on Why NOW is the Right Time

1.     "You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis

2.     “The bad news? Time flies. The good news? You’re the pilot.” – Michael Altschuler

3.     “One day, you’re going to wake up and there won’t be any time left to do the things you’ve always wanted to do.” – Paulo Coelho

4.     “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” – nurse Bonnie Ware, reporting the #1 regret of people at the end of their life

5.     “We have two lives and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” – Confucius

6.     “The future is already here and we’re already late.” – John Legend

7.     “Some of us are not living our dreams, because we're living our fears." - Les Brown

8.      “Tomorrow is another day, but so was yesterday.” – Rene Ricard

9.     “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard

10.  “It’s only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day to day basis.” – Margaret Bonnano

11. "You cherish things in a different way when you know the clock is ticking." Chadwick Boseman

12. “How did it get so late so soon?” – Dr. Seuss

Don't delay. You know in your heart what's missing from your life.

There is an action you want to take, a change you want to make.

Pick up the phone and call that person you've been meaning to reconnect with.

Put a date on your calendar right now of when you'll launch a long-delayed project.

You'll never regret doing more of what lights you up, you'll only regret not doing it sooner.

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This is excerpted from Sam's latest book SOMEDAY is Not a Day in the Week