A little something to motivate you

Promises of Youth

An elderly man, in the final days of life, was lying in bed alone. He awakens to see a large group of people clustered around his bed. Their faces are loving, but sad. Confused, the old man smiles weakly and whispers, "You must be my childhood friends, come to say good-bye. I am so grateful."

Moving closer, the tallest figure gently grasps the old man's hand and replies, "Yes, we are your best and oldest friends, but long ago you abandoned us. For we are the unrealized hopes, dreams and plans that you once felt deeply in your heart, but never pursued. We are the unique talents that you never refined, the special gifts you never discovered. Old friend, we have not come to comfort you, but to die with you."


No, I didn't write the above. It had come many years ago from one of my weekly newsletters, and I wish I knew who wrote it. If anyone knows, please let me know.
I find this passage so beautiful, and heartbreaking. It is sad because too many of us let our dreams die. We get caught up in day to day living, and keep saying, maybe next year I will have more time, maybe when the kids grow up, maybe when I retire...but nothing is promised to us. What if tomorrow never came? Would you be satisfied with the life you have led? I know I would not. I am nowhere near where I want to be, but at least I am trying to take steps regularly, to create a more fulfilling life.

I have made so many mistakes in my life. So many wasted years... I used every excuse in the book to justify not sitting down to do the thing I most loved to do, Create. So what changed? I can't even pinpoint it...You see, the love of art and creating was never far from my mind. I may have taken long breaks without drawing, but I always came back to it. I guess I finally understood that this was the one life I was given and that time was ticking.... No more excuses.

Don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect. I have days, even weeks where I don't do anything productive, and that is ok. We can't be 'on' all the time, we would burn out. There is nothing wrong with taking a break from your art (or whatever your goal is), and we should never feel guilty about it. I do love my t.v. shows like "Survivor" and "Project Runway". I just make sure I get back to creating after taking breaks from it.

So is anything holding you back from doing the thing you most love. Don't make my mistakes, dear reader. Print out the above little story and post it on your fridge as a reminder. You and I don't want to come to the end of our lives, and realize that we never lived. Every day you wake, you are given another brand new shiny day, to use as you please. Try to do something for yourself even if it's just for 15 minutes. Most of all, have fun!

Don't let your music die inside you!

Lots of blessing for a wonderful day :-)