Denis Waitley is one of my favorite authors, speakers and trainers. His book, "Seeds of Greatness" was one of the first on personal devolpment I read. I'm proud to share his article "Making the Most of Today" with you.
What each of us is doing this minute is the most important event in history for us. We have decided to invest our resources in THIS opportunity rather than in any other.
It is helpful to remember this when we consider the passage of time. As I write this, my mother is in her eighties and I will never see fifty again. As the years pass, I am acutely aware that the bird of time is on the wing. At my fortieth high school reunion, I saw people who claimed to be my former classmates. We all had big name tags printed in capital letters so we wouldn't have to squint with our reading glasses on trying to associate the name with each well-traveled face. It was only yesterday that I was really enjoying high school. What had happened to the four decades in between? Where had they flown?
To the side of the bandstand, where the big-band sound of the late 1940s and 50s blared our favorite top-ten hits, there was a poster with a printed verse for all of us to see. I read the words aloud: "There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension."
"One of these days is YESTERDAY, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed or erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone."
"The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise, and its poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control."
"This leaves only one day, TODAY. Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities - Yesterday and Tomorrow - that we break down."
"It is not the experience of Today that drives us mad, it is remorse and bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore… Live this one full TODAY."
Malcolm Forbes believed the important thing is "never say die until you're dead," and he lived that example to the hilt. It is, as we realize when we suddenly attend our fortieth high school reunion, a short journey.
But it is difficult to be depressed and active at the same time. So get active! Live TODAY.
About the Author:
Denis Waitley is more than a poet, lyricist, best-selling author, and speaker . . . Denis Waitley has studied and counseled leaders in every field -- from Apollo astronauts to Fortune 500 top executives -- and now comes to our living rooms. Denis Waitley has painted word pictures of optimism, core values, motivation, and resiliency that have become indelible and legendary in their positive impact on society. Denis has been described by his peers as “the poet laureate” of modern-day philosophers. For the past 40 years he has inspired, informed, and enlightened mïllions of individuals with his 15 nonfiction books, hundreds of audio programs, and entertaining, penetrating, live keynote lectures, seminars, and television appearances. To learn more, visit www.deniswaitley.com