Meg Dowell Writes

I’ve realized recently that life is short—shorter than you expect. One minute you’re writing out a list of goals, determined to accomplish them, and when you turn around, you’ve run out of time. It’s over; you’ve lost your chance. No matter what you do, the clock will never stop ticking. Every second you live is a second either wasted or passed. They say to cherish every moment; they don’t lie.

If you want to make something of yourself, as so many do, there’s no time to waste. You have to figure out not only what you want, but how you plan on getting it. You can’t just wake up Sunday morning and say, “I want to rule the world.” You have to figure out the steps: how are you going to get there? If you don’t plan everything out, you won’t succeed.

Not to say that your plans will always work out. Because, if you’re trying to make something happen that God doesn’t like, He won’t let it happen. We as humans learn from our mistakes, humiliating or not. Failure is a natural part of life. We have to fail in order to realize that maybe, just maybe, what we’re trying to accomplish isn’t meant to be. That’s why we should always try new things, no matter how frightening: there could be something out there you were born to master, and you don’t even know it.

Being afraid is normal—to an extent. We can be afraid of failure, for fear can sometimes make us work harder just to succeed. But fear can also drag us down. If we’re afraid of the little things—dying; public speaking; spiders—we’re going nowhere. We have to overcome these fears in whatever means necessary. If you live your entire life in a shell, no one will ever know who you are. Your light, the one that’s meant to shine, will be forever hidden behind your fear, and hesitation.

Let yourself be driven by everyday things. Write what you know and expand upon your ideas. Love everyone around you more than you love yourself, and learn to accept the flaws that keep you from perfection. Live your life like you’ve never lived it before. Every second counts.

And the bunch of seconds you spent reading this? Totally and completely worth it.

Trust me.

Love&hugs, Meg♥