Goal of the day: 703 words. Written: 725.
Later.
Do you often say this word to yourself?
And do you often realise that you are only lying to yourself?
Later. I will definitely start and finish.
- When I finish school;
- When I go to university;
- When I get my diploma;
- When I find the one I love;
- When we get engaged;
- When we get married;
- When we part;
- When the children grow up;
- When the action is good;
- When the weather is better;
- When you don't have to work;
- When they teach me;
- When...
Or, in other words, "When the mood strikes".
Only the mood is never the same. Not for artistic creativity, not for business creativity, not for the creation of your relationships and your view of the world. There is no mood, no matter what.
And it goes on, it goes on, it goes on...
But is "Later" really so bad?
Yes.
But sometimes it's better later on, it's easier to get started and so on!
Yes.
...Don't you sometimes contradict yourself?
No.
Just because two years later computers will be cheaper and faster, or the average Lithuanian salary will be closer to the European average, doesn't mean it's worth waiting.
Yes, you can wait.
...God, some of us have so much patience! They have dreams since childhood, but they live to 90 without letting them go!
But is it worth it?
If you want to write a book, you can wait until you learn how to do it. Perhaps you believe that by not writing learn write. But time does not stand still. And the strength (for you) is decreasing. Soon you will have no more.
Some dreams never come true.
But I am not trying to motivate you.
Yes, I could shout at you and moan, "You can do it! Do it! Go on! When, if not today? Don't let your dreams stay dreams!"
Just like this hero:
I could also ask if what you are doing NOW is important. It is said that we spend most of our lives procrastinating - doing anything but what we need to do.
I heard a story about a man who had been trying to quit smoking for two years. Everyone told him how bad it was, his wife cried, his co-workers were quite supportive, but... Nothing. Then one day his six-year-old daughter came in scared, looked at him and said 'Daddy, I don't want you to die'. From that moment on, the man never smoked another cigarette.
Like a monk.
But let's take a better look at your desires, which you will surely fulfil "Later".
Two types of dreams.
Two days ago, I had a live meeting with a cloud dweller who works for a funeral services company and who aspires to become a photographer. He wants to take photographs. But he doesn't know how to make the transition from funeral services to artistic photography and how to make a living from it.
He would like to, but he keeps looking for that "Later".
...But "Later" does not come by itself. And the old dreams remain:
a) Started to achieve;
b) Not started.
I don't know how the first one ended. Maybe you realised a day later that this dream wasn't yours, maybe it turned into a calling in life, just like writing accidentally became a calling for me.
I know how the second one turned out. Because you either dreamt about it for the rest of your life (until you passed away) or you put it out of your head, and that was that.
I would love it if you would take a look at your "Later" aspirations.
And look - could you start today?
Or could you take it and just put the dream out of your head? Just like me, remembering that ideas have a shelf lifeput the idea of travelling to every country in the world out of my head?
(Why should I travel to other countries when there are so many unvisited places and unmet people in Kaunas alone? Let alone the rest of Lithuania. Two and a half million people is quite a lot!)
Perhaps your "Later" can become "Today"?
And if you have a dream of spending your days reading books... Because you like reading books, damn it...
...So could you read for at least 10 minutes every day? And 50? Maybe 100? Minutes, not grams.
Don't chase the light of happiness at the end of the road.
Better light it up here in your heart. In your home, in your daily life.
If you want to take pictures of nature, take pictures. At the same time, don't forget your business management job and keep working. In your spare time, take photos. Work. Take photos. Work. Take photos. Work for eight hours. Four hours take photographs. Work. Take photographs. Throw away the TV. Work. Take pictures. Work harder because you're not keeping up with your work. Take more photos because the ideas never stop. Work. Take more photographs.
...And you'll inadvertently notice how you've become Marius Čepulis.
He wanted to photograph nature because that's what he likes. It's not his job, or at least it hasn't been for 5 years so far. He works in the management of directors of a company. He has been working and taking pictures.
I.
I work as an insurance agent and broker, together with my aunt and cousins. I arrange insurance for cars, homes, life, travel, property - whatever you want. I get euros. I write when I get home or during breaks from work. I write like crazy.
Like Stephen King or Hemingway.
And look, one day good dreams become part of life. You try the bad ones and throw them away.
And the dreams you don't seem to have...
...You also refuse. All that remains are the desires that you once wanted to fulfil in "Later", but which you fulfilled yesterday. Just those many achievements in life.
Don't chase the light of your happiness. Light it today.
And there's no need for that "Later".
today,
Daniel