When…Then
Time is our most valuable asset. We can’t buy more of it. We can’t make more of it. We can only prioritize what we do with it. As we get along in years, we start to reflect more on it. As you start staring your mortality in the face, you wonder what you did with all of it. But you can’t “Rewind,” you can only keep going on “Play,” and you don’t want to “Fast Forward.”
How many of you, like me, are challenged with the notion of “When…Then…?” How many of you have heard yourself say, “When “X” happens, then I’ll do ‘Y’.”?
When I get a new job, then I’ll be happier.
When I meet the right person, then I’ll be happier.
When I have enough money saved, then I’ll take those classes.
When my kids are grown up, then I’ll pursue my dreams.
And on, and on…
I too suffered from the When/Then Syndrome. And some of my “Whens” never happened. Because when you have expectations about your “whens,” circumstances are always changing that can impact the “when” and your level of preparedness for executing on your “then.”
SOME WHENS INCLUDE:
Time
Money
Relationships
Life Circumstances
Health
Age
SOME THEN VARIABLES
Educational Pursuits
Hobbies
Life Dreams
Goals
Passions
Purpose
But WHEN you have an idea, or a passion, or a defined purpose, THEN you owe it to yourself to start working on it…NOW! Not tomorrow. Not “when” you have more time later. Not “when” you have more financial resources available. NOW!
You see, the Universe cannot conspire with you to pursue your “thens” unless you change the “when” to NOW and take some action toward your passion and purpose!
Taking action now does not have to be a giant leap. It can be a baby step toward your ‘then.’ Each step in the right direction is better than being stuck in the quicksand of ‘when.’ Progress builds confidence. Confidence builds competency. Competency builds greater progress. Add a little luck and some help from your universal network, and you can accelerate this cycle further.
You can change the WHEN/THEN paradigm into a positive.
When I start writing, then I create content.
When I donate to charity, then I help others.
When I eat cleaner, then I improve my health.
When I exercise, then I lose weight.
How is this approach different from the other WHEN/THEN scenario? Upon further examination, we see that in a positive WHEN/THEN paradigm, the “when” is action oriented. In the other WHEN/THEN paradigm, the “when” is passive and anticipatory. That “when” is tied to a future outcome over which we have little control. The new, positive WHEN/THEN paradigm has us taking ownership and taking immediate personal action, in the present, to create the “thens” we desire.
I recently read a passage that I’d like to share with you entitled “Later.” The author is unknown, but the message is profound.
“LATER” Author Unknown
Talk to you later.
I’ll call you later.
See you later.
We’ll walk later.
I’ll tell you later.
We leave everything for later, but forget that “later” does not belong to us.
Later, our loved ones are no longer with us.
Later, we don’t hear from them and we don’t see them.
Later, they are just memories.
Later, the day becomes night, the force becomes helpless, the smile becomes a grimace,
and life becomes death.
“Later” becomes “Too late.”
Do it now!
QUOTES:
“It won’t just happen, we have to make it happen. So, hope is all about taking action to make your hope come true.”
Dr. Jane Goodall
“The distance between dreams and reality is called action.”
@lifestylerelated
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.”
Dale Carnegie
“Tell me who you are with your actions.
Tell me who you are by what you value most in the world.
Tell me who you are by how your treat other people.
Tell me who you are by the life you have created for yourself.
Words mean nothing when actions speak so loudly.”
@From Within
“Any action is often better than no action… If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it’s no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.”
Eckhart Tolle
“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”
- Benjamin Disraeli
“Be the difference through your actions. Make the world a better place by working on yourself and being a good person.
We need more of you.”
Meditate and Love
Instead of a Tom-ism, I’d like to share another Africa story. While I was still recovering financially from the divorce and still working hard to support my kid’s basic needs as well as their activities and dreams, I had my own dream to get to Africa and visit a charity I support called Save The Elephants based in Kenya.
I remember talking with my boss and saying, “When the kids hit 18, and I’m no longer on the hook for child support, then I will go.” My boss was way ahead of me in the WHEN/THEN paradigm. He called me into a conference room and told me that he was tired of hearing me talk about going to Kenya. He told me that the company was giving me a conditional bonus of $2,500, enough to purchase a flight to Nairobi, but under the condition that I had to use it within six months.
It was a life-changing gift as you can imagine. I didn’t have to wait for a “when” because my boss took the action to deliver my “then.” It is an amazing gesture that I will never forget.
We do not control time. We have no way of knowing how much time we get. But those who have been told that they don’t have much time left, will likely tell you the following: Don’t waste it on frivolous things. Maximize your time to provide fulfillment and happiness in your life and to the lives of those you love.
This is a challenge to all of you and to myself. Let’s change our “whens” to “NOWS!” Instead of saying WHEN/THEN, let’s all think in terms of “Now I am going to…(fill in the action).”
Now I am going to go to the gym.
Now I am going to volunteer with that charity.
Now, I am going to do yardwork.
Now, I am going to ask that girl out.
Now, I am going to tell my kids I love them.
Now, I am going to hug my partner.
Now, I am going to change my life.
Have faith! Take action! When you have faith and take some sort of action, then you make progress toward your purpose, and you open the door to infinite possibilities that are aligned with who you truly are and what you are supposed to do.
WHEN you take action,…THEN good things will happen!
WHEN you LOOK UP,…THEN you can see infinite opportunities!
I LOVE YOU GUYS!
PEACE!