THIS I KNOW FOR SURE (I THINK): ACTION

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” -- Pablo Picasso

So I am very blessed to be a part of this awesome run club in Chicago.  Almost every day of the week I meet up with some fabulous women at the butt-crack of dawn to run around a track for three to five miles.  Now that it is fall and daylight is shorter than night, most mornings, the girls and I are busting moves before the sun has risen over the city and lit up the sky.  Let me tell you, it's one of the main reasons I even make it outdoors because I know that each sunrise is so different and that each run is not like the one before.  Oftentimes, I find myself stopping in the middle of a run to snap a picture of the sky because I just know that I'll never see anything like it again.

*whispers*  THIS where the important part of this post begins!  *done whispering*

There have been some mornings where I see the sky at the 150 meter mark and I think, "That's pretty, I'll take a picture on the next lap when I get back to this point."  What usually happens, is that the entire picturesque moment is GONE because in that time it took me to get back, the sun has moved up and on from its last position!  (And I'm not that slow!)

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Well... Just like the sunrise, time, and miles... things pass and move on with or without you.  Knowing this helps me to realize that--although I am very confident in myself--I am so insignificant!  My intentions don't matter, my hopes and dreams and positive thoughts don't count as long as they remain an idea and not an item of action!

Sometimes we have the best intentions set out for ourselves but because we think, "I'll get back to that on the next lap," we miss it and it usually gets added to our high pile of disappointments, failures and short-comings.  So what can you do about it?  You can start by doing it now!  What point does starting your new workout plan on Monday make in the statement of your life?  Why wait to start your business after you save up $10,000 to quit your sucky, depressing, job?  Why promise to resolve a relationship with someone "before you die" versus tonight or tomorrow?  Why put off 'til tomorrow what you can do today?

My biggest suggestion would be to not let another second go by without making some kind of dent in your vision.  This could mean that you write, "research gym prices", on your to-do list, right now.  It could mean that you make a PROs and CONs list about the sucky, depressing job.  It could also mean that you call up a good friend to at least talk through your feelings about a certain relationship and what you may or may not do to reconcile it in the future.  Whatever it is, it's something to capture the moment so that the sun isn't casting a new shadow on it on the next pass that you make in a few hours, months, years.  (By that I mean... suddenly, it's not so bad to be overweight OR it's not so bad that I am very underpaid for all of my experience in my position OR it's not so bad that I completely stop coming to family functions if I know this person is going to be there.)

There will be other days, more time, and some blog posts (by me) about what to do after this step but this is the first one that will help you to achieve the dream that you have of a healthy lifestyle, a career that you thrive in, and having a positive life.  Action is one of the things we are so blessed to have control over.  How we play it is all up to us!  The catch is that the reaction is not ever in our control.

'Tis true... We have no say in how people respond to us and whether or not the meter maid will ticket you when you're down to  your last dollar as a budding entrepreneur.  You will make some mistakes and you will wish you could take some words or monies back.  This is a part of life.  But, if you ask me, it's so much easier to create a better and more tolerable version of something you had before than it is to make something that makes you completely miserable, better.  I have a lot of theory to back that up and will use that in another post as well.

I hope that after reading all of these words, that you have taken some amount of action towards leading the great life that you feel called to lead.  Baby-steps still get you to wear you're going and action-by-action, you'll fool around and find that you've completely taken down this amazing goal that you once believed to be too lofty and foolish to even imagine!  A life of health, peace and prosperity is just a few crossed-off to-do list items away!  YAY!!

Thanks for reading my blog today.  My blog that is one of the things that I just took action on rather than putting off for another day, month and year.  I really appreciate it.  ;  )

Sunrise from 11/14/2012

xoxo

M.B.