A friend recently shared a story of a friend she’d known well while growing up – she had a near fatal car accident with multiple head injuries. It seemed like a lost cause but she luckily recovered and has been on a very long road of recovery since. Such recovery can go on for years and, while she has resumed a normal life, it’ll still be a very long time before she can get back to being her former self.
The thought that crossed my mind then was the importance of such stories to repeatedly question our assumption of unlimited time. We assume unlimited time when we plan our future – “In 20 years, I’d like to do…,”” in 5 years, I think I’d like to do this,” “When I’m 60..” And, yet, one unfortunate moment can change all these plans forever. I don’t believe it is wrong to plan for the future. It’s the right thing to do. Build like you’ll be here forever but also live like you might not be here tomorrow. It’s hard to remember that, however, and that’s why stories of tough accidents and death are important. They ought to remind us that we are, after all, human; and that this road has a definite end.
And, what that tells me is that there is no good in postponing our plans to make this world a better place. Sure, the scale may not seem ideal and the timing may not feel ideal as well. But, we have to get started now. Opportunities work best when they are manufactured. We have it in us to make a positive difference. Our impact may not be as grandiose as we imagined but it rarely is when we get started.
We owe it to ourselves to get started. We don’t have unlimited time..
A Learning a Day 