If "it" is important to me and I don't invest anything to take care of "it", then who will? This falls back on my own personal twist of Hillel the Elder's quote, which is now a motto of mine:
If not now, when? If not you, who?
With this in mind, let's reflect on the power of now versus the power of later.
The Power of Now
In short, here are the main points of the concept of the power of now.
- If someone is waiting on you, do it now.
- If no one is waiting on you and there's no hurry, do it now, so it's out of the way and you can go on to something else without "it" looming over you.
- If you notice that something needs to be done and you have the power and/or knowledge to do it, do it now.
- If you wonder why no one is taking care of it, do it now. Don't wait for someone else to take care of it - you are someone else.
- If you say to yourself, I should do that, then do it now.
- If you say to yourself that he/she should do it, then YOU do it now.
The entire point of the power of now is that you are empowered, in that very moment. You are empowered to complete the thing you think should be done.
Why maintain expectations if not previously outlined to another party? Why wait on someone else, especially if you are perfectly capable. "He should." "She should." Whatever, it all points down to YOU should.
The Power of Later
This is where you are truly dependent upon someone else or you need to employ the power of patience by delaying for a greater good.
The aim here is that if a delayed or patient action is added to a well thought-out response, wouldn't that be incredibly impactful? Then, use it!
Some situations are best resolved in the silent discomfort of waiting. How do you know when to use the Power of Now versus Later? The answer is really incredibly simple.
Which one has been working for you? Keep doing it. Which one hasn't? Stop using it until it becomes effective again.
I like Dr. Phil McGraw's concept of "never waste a good opportunity to shut up." I also like Darren Hardy's philosophy of "The Compound Effect". In either case, it's hard work.
If it is no longer hard work, then you aren't being challenged enough and somewhere you are slowly slouching backwards. Stay there long enough, and you will become very surprised how you got into a very uncomfortable position.
Where do you see yourself in five to ten years? Make goals and plans and then start working on them. If not now, when? If not you, who? It's time. It might even be time to approach that goal differently than you have ever approached something before.
