The late Earl Nightingale wrote: “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass one way or the other.”
Time passes … too quickly, in fact. When I was young I laughed at the old folks who said, “The older you grow, the faster time goes.” I would think to myself: “How utterly ridiculous. Time is linear. It doesn’t slow down. It doesn’t speed up. It just is what it is.” I was wrong. Now that I am one of the old folks, I realize they knew what they were talking about. I’m not sure how to explain it, but I simply know it’s true. When I was a kid, one of the longest spans imaginable was the time between 8:30 a.m. when school started and 3:30 p.m. when the bell rang for us to go home. Seven whole hours! How on earth could we get through? Now the span between one Christmas season and the next seems faster than that. Nightingale was correct: “The time will pass one way or the other.”
He was also correct in reminding his readers that doing something with the time at your disposal is critical. Making a difference. Contributing to the general welfare of life. Chasing a dream. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass one way or the other.”
So, what dream are you chasing? Yuichiro Miura climbed Mount Everest at age 80. He didn’t stop mountain climbing at that age; it’s just how old he was when he began to scale Everest. Countless others have climbed mountains (metaphorically speaking) when some might have thought they were too old to try. Grandma Moses didn’t even take up painting until she was 78. Harland Sanders was 65 when he took a pressure cooker and his recipe for fried chicken on the road hoping to talk people into trying it. Susan B. Anthony was past 80 when she set in motion an organization that would result in the passage of the 19th Amendment (which gave women the right to vote). Fauja Singh was 89 when he took up running (completing a 26-mile marathon when he was 100). What mountain would you like to climb? What dream do you long to chase? “It’s too late.” “I’m too old.” “It will take too much time.” So, how will you use your time instead of chasing a dream that could bring you meaning and joy? Remember, “the time will pass one way or the other.”
My wife told me today that I “will” go back to the gym beginning November 1, which will be for me a source of renewed health. I told her she “should” resume painting, which was once for her a source of creative satisfaction. The time we would spend not doing those things will pass anyway. So, why not make good use of the time instead? I’ve written a number of books across the years, all of which were professional or motivational. But, I’ve always had a dream (like a gazillion other folks) of writing a novel. I even have the plot and characters worked out. The only thing is, it would be really time consuming. But then, “the time will pass one way or the other.” A friend of mine has begun taking guitar lessons. Another, well past 70, has taken up golf. Yet another has begun volunteering regularly with Habitat for Humanity.
Every new day is our starting line. Memories lie behind. Life lies ahead. We get one shot at it. So, with whatever time you have at your disposal, what do you want to do that will bring meaning to you and will, perhaps, bring happiness to others? What’s stopping you? After all, “the time will pass one way or the other.”