Tempus Fugit
Some things are heard so often that we stop hearing them.
Life is short. And just because that’s cliche doesn’t make it any less true.
–Richie Norton
There are many truths that sound like cliches, but they remain truths.
Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.
–Wayne Dyer
We become insensitive to the reality of an idea because we hear it so much.
One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.
–Paulo Coelho
But it is really dangerous to become insensitive to reality.
Wisdom calls out in the street;
she makes her voice heard in the public squares.
She cries out above the commotion;
she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:
“How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance?
How long will you mockers enjoy mocking
and you fools hate knowledge?
If you respond to my warning,
then I will pour out my spirit on you
and teach you my words.
Since I called out and you refused,
extended my hand and no one paid attention,
since you neglected all my counsel
and did not accept my correction,
I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock when terror strikes you,
–Proverbs 1:20-26 (CSB)
Reality will catch up to us whether or not we paid attention to it.
I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.
–character, upon finding himself in hell, in ‘The Screwtape Letters’ by C.S. Lewis
The costs of a wasted life are unrecoverable.
Life is not a dress rehearsal.
–variously attributed
Cliche though it may seem, the reality that life is short will catch up to all of us.
[W]e are not living in eternity. We have only the present moment, sparkling like a star in our hands — and melting like a snowflake.
We’d better get started.
–Marie Beynon Ray
Carpe Diem
Life is short, so we have little time to do the things that matter to us.
Begin doing what you want to do now.
–variously attributed
No one is promised tomorrow, so we may have even less time than we imagine.
Dream big, start small, but most of all, start.
–Simon Sinek, attributed
Starting does not guarantee success. But not starting guarantees failure.
I could regret failing, but what I’ll really regret is failing to try.
–Adam Grant
It’s also easy to think that inaction is safer.
There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
–John F. Kennedy
Miscalculating risks is only one of the impacts of fear. Fear comes in many forms and has many counterproductive effects.
Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.
–Norman Vincent Peale
Taking action is a helpful way to counteract fear.
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
–Dale Carnegie
Regardless of fear, to see that important things are done, we have to begin them.
Per Aspera Ad Astra
You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
–Joe Sabba
It’s easy to become discouraged by believing that to achieve monumental things one must start with monumental actions.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
–Laozi
But consequential actions start with the smallest actions.
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
–Confucius
The path forward almost certainly will not be entirely clear at the beginning. That should not prevent you from starting. The course of the journey won’t reveal itself until you are on it.
Magic happens when you’re in motion.
–Richie Norton
You have to start walking to see what’s next on the path, what’s over the next hill, what’s past your current horizon line.
Just start and then tweak along the way.
–Walid Azami
As you continue down the path, you begin to see where you need to adjust your direction.
Most people find success in any area of their lives — from career to health to relationships — by taking imperfect action before [they] think [they’re] ready, and then [continuing] to make adjustments.
–Scott Anthony Barlow
The small, initial steps you took will give you a new perspective on your destination and allow you to see where you need to make corrections in your course. As you see them, you point your feet in the new direction and you walk a few more steps closer to your goal.
Ergo
Your time is limited.
To accomplish something of importance you must start.
Accomplishing anything starts with small actions.
You can’t see the whole path from the starting line.
You don’t need (and won’t have) perfect clarity to begin.
Get in motion and watch the path unfold as you go.
Make corrections based on your new perspective.
Keep going.
Repeat until you reach your goal.
Incipe
And though it’s been said many times, many ways, just start.
Just do it.
Begin.