THE POWER OF 'NOW'

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." Chinese Proverb

In his book, The Little Minister, J. M. Barrie says, "The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it."

Your current position in life is a reflection of your previous desires, planning, and choices. If you want a better future, you'll need to make some immediate and powerful changes and choices right now. Now is the time.

It will never be convenient to be and live how you know you should. If it were convenient, everyone would be living at a much higher level. There would be no internal conflict. Instead, most people continue to wait for someone or something outside of them to wake them up or pick them up. It's not going to happen for those people. If you want something from life, you have to want it as bad as you want air. And you have to start TODAY.

In the movie Gattaca, a young man named Vincent is born with every disadvantage imaginable. It simply isn't his "fate" to have the life he wants. But he doesn't accept that fate. Instead, he does everything, even risks his very life, to have the life he most deeply desires.

One scene in the movie is particularly moving. Vincent and his far genetically/mentally superior brother, Anton, swim out from the shore of the ocean as far as they can. The first one to turn around and head back for shore loses. Thus, they must keep in mind the energy they'll need for the swim back.
All throughout their lives, Vincent and Anton have had this competition. Every time, Vincent was the one to turn around first and swim back to shore. However, at the end of the movie, Vincent is changed. One last time, the brothers step into the water and begin swimming.

Eventually, Anton cries out, "Vincent! Vincent! Where's the shore? We're too far out." "You want to quit?" Vincent asks. "We're too far out!" Anton yells. "You want to quit?" Vincent repeats.

Pausing and considering his safety, Anton pridefully yells, "No!" So they keep swimming, further and further out.

Eventually, Anton pauses and calls out, "Vincent! How are you doing this? Vincent, how have you done any of this? We have to go back."

"No, it's too late for that. We are closer to the other side," Vincent responds. "What other side? Do you want to drown us both?" Anton says in frustration.

"You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back," Vincent says resolutely. Terrified, Anton turns around and desperately begins swimming back to the shore. Eventually, he starts to drown and Vincent saves him and pulls him back to shore, swimming on his back and looking up into the sky.

When was the last time you wanted something badly enough to die for it? Similarly, when was the last time you were willing to actually live for something?

I'm certain there is SO MUCH in your life right now that is worth living for. You have people in your life right now that you're taking for granted. You have an endless well of untapped potential within you, just sitting dormant.

There is no next opportunity, only the one right in front of you. When are you going to start living?

Nothing can stop you once you decide what you want. But you have to decide. To quote Napoleon Hill: "There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it."