Wake-Up Call - Time for Action

A test. One of the following two statements is correct. Choose A or B....

It's morning. You grab a cup of coffee, walk out the front door and gaze upon your familiar world, and...

A. Not much has changed.

B. Practically everything has changed.

Which did you choose? The correct answer is B. It isn't easy to create a life for yourself. You look upon your world and you need to believe that there's some constancy, some stability, some predictability to it. But all that is an illusion. Everything in the world is in a condition of flux. If you aren't surprised by what's going on around you, you aren't paying attention.

Every person is on a journey that is unknown to you. Countless changing variables propel these unknown journeys. Even random thoughts and small decisions have unpredictable consequences. The lives of all your friends and family are changing.

Millions of conversations are taking place. Millions of ideas are forming. Millions of people are taking action, often on the spur of the moment, often after careful planning. All these actions will have consequences.

Are you hoping to finish your project and have an impact? Is your work based on assumptions you made some time ago? Do you think the world out there is like a theater where a sizable audience sits quietly and waits patiently and politely for you to come on stage?

This day, as you stand on your doorstep, acknowledge the truth. Wake up! Almost nothing out there is the same as it was yesterday. Unimaginable changes and their consequences are cascading forward in time as you take another sip of your coffee.

You don't have any time to waste. Whatever is important to you, you need to be doing it. Most of what you do every day is of little consequence. Do what's important instead. Get into a flow, Bring the best of who you are to the work that defines you and gives you purpose. If you want to make a difference, then get on with it.

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2011. Building Personal Strength . (Permission to use image purchased from fotolia.com)