Do It Now

I promise I'm not morphing into Tony Robbins or any other sort of life coach. I am, instead, very contemplative this morning. Yesterday, a dear friend and I were tweeting and the conversation brought to mind someone in our critique group who passed away earlier this year after battling cancer. She had worked on a medieval time-travel piece for a while, but never saw it published.

None of us knows what's coming, or what God or the fates have decided for us. We each have our own personal fears about where life will take us. I'm challenging you, as I do for myself each day, to choose the path. Whatever it is that you have to do: finish a manuscript, edit or revise, write a query, enter a contest, decide which agent you should go with, etc., just do it. Stop procrastinating or putting off the decision until tomorrow. Stop making excuses. Stop letting fear of failure or the unknown limit your possibilities for the future.

The conversation yesterday reminded me of how fleeting our goals and dreams can be. I can only imagine what it is to see your life end with regrets about the things you should or could have done, if you had a little more time. I'd hate to leave this world, knowing that I never finished a manuscript, never queried an agent or editor, never saw my own books published. Now, I won't have those particular regrets, because I've done those things. Don't let time pass you by. Do it now.