We all like to pretend that we’ve got all the time in the world, like we’re the main character in some never-ending story. We procrastinate on our dreams, put off important conversations, and waste our days on meaningless trivialities, as if we’ve got an infinite number of tomorrows to make it all right.
Well, I’ve got news for you: you don’t. None of us do. Every second that ticks by is a second you’ll never get back, a tiny piece of your one wild and precious life that you’ve irretrievably spent.
Most of us live in denial of this fact. We numb ourselves with distractions and console ourselves with vague notions of “someday.” Someday I’ll take that trip. Someday I’ll start that business. Someday I’ll tell that person how I really feel.
But “someday” is a mirage, a comforting illusion that keeps us stuck in a holding pattern of inaction and regret. The truth is, if you want to live a life without regret, you need to start living with a sense of urgency, a bone-deep understanding that this moment is all you’re guaranteed.
This doesn’t mean living recklessly or impulsively. It means getting crystal clear on what truly matters to you and then pursuing it with single-minded focus and determination. It means being willing to take risks, to fail spectacularly, to look foolish in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
It means saying the things you need to say, today, because you might not get another chance. It means forgiving the people you need to forgive, making the apologies you need to make, expressing the love and gratitude you too often leave unspoken.
Most of all, it means taking full responsibility for your life and your choices, recognizing that you are the sole author of your story. You can’t control every circumstance, but you can always control how you respond, the meaning you choose to create from even the greatest challenges and losses.
So stop waiting for the perfect moment, the ideal circumstances, the mythical “someday” when you’ll finally be ready to go after what you want. Start now, today, in this moment.
Because this is your life – and it’s ending one minute at a time. And it’s up to you to make every one of those minutes count.