Start Today, Not Tomorrow
What’s the secret to beginning a movement? To launching something revolutionary and world-changing? To getting your business idea launched?
Start today, not tomorrow. Don’t wait for the world to change. Change. The. World.
Here are some words from Julien Smith that recently challenged me:
There isn’t a single thing in this world that’s made better by starting tomorrow.
Everything you care about, everything you are about, needs to begin today or it may never happen.
If you don’t want to do it now, you clearly don’t want it bad enough.
I hate it when someone calls my bluff. Don’t you?
The world can’t be changed by those who don’t act. It’s basic physics.
As my friend Ken says, “A body in motion tends to stay in motion, and a body at rest tends to rest in peace.”
If you’re not moving, you’re dead. Please don’t be dead. We need you fully alive.
Tomorrow never comes
What’s something that you’ve put off doing till tomorrow? Did you really do it? I didn’t think so.
Here is a list of things I said I’d do tomorrow:
- Clean the house
- Go for a jog
- Start dieting
- Write a book proposal
- Be kinder to my wife
- Read more books
- Be more productive
- Fix my computer
- Donate to a nonprofit
Many of those I pledged to start months ago. All with the same promise: Eh, I’ll do that tomorrow.
Face it: Tomorrow never comes. You only ever have today. Embrace it for what it is, or surrender to a life of regret and mediocrity.
What have you been putting off indefinitely? What’s been thrown into the endless void of “I’ll do that tomorrow”? Stop lying to yourself. Really what you’ll mean is: I’ll never have time for that.
I hate to tell you this, but there are no “Best Intentions” awards at the end of your life. It’s now or never.
It’s time to act
It doesn’t have to be like this, you know. You have a choice.
You can do that thing… today. Not tomorrow. Not in a month. Right now.
If it’s worth the effort, you shouldn’t wait. If it’s not, then simply tell the truth: I don’t want that badly enough.
Whatever you do, I hope you begin.
Build momentum. Overcome Resistance. Break free of laziness and malaise. Do something.
You’ll feel better about yourself once you’ve started. Trust me. It gets easier as you go.
Starting is hard
It requires courage and perseverance and all kinds of gumption. That’s why most people simply talk about it, but never do it. That’s why it’s the hard part.
But starting is necessary. It’s crucial to making your mark and leaving a legacy.
I dare you to begin. (And then tomorrow, do it all over again.)
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If you need help, check out this book: The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki (Affiliate link)
What’s something you need to start today?
*Photo credit: Sadie Hernandez (Creative Commons)