A post by Seth Godin which is relevant to people in midlife everywhere
Cashing the check
A check in your wallet does you very little good. It represents opportunity, sure, but not action.
Most of us are carrying around a check, an opportunity to make an impact, to do the work we're capapble of, to ship the art that would make a difference.
No, the world isn't fair, and most people don't get all the chances they deserve. There are barriers due to income, to race, to social standing and to education, and they are inexcusable and must fall. But the check remains, now more than ever. The opportunity to step up and to fail (and then to fail again, and to fail again) and to continue failing until we succeed is greater now than it has ever been.
As Martin Luther King Junior spoke about a half a lifetime ago,
"We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood -- it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late."
See Seth Godin's blog at: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
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Rob Horlock has established The Mid Life Opportunity (www.midlifeop.com), a community for people in Midlife. Advice and Guidance is available from The Mid Life Coaching Panel. It’s free to join - click here
Rob,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post by Seth.
As we get older and more and more failures it is easy to take the advise of others and "take it easy" "rest" or "go on vaction" Yet this is the time of life where we have experience and knowledge to rely on and share with others. It is the time to do just the opposite.
Thanks for the link to Seths post.
Hi Sheila,
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a great post. If you don't already follow Seth, sign up - he is an excellent observer and thought leader.
all the best
Rob