"A fool if I take it all for granted
A smart man if I keep my feet planted
To the earth, 'cause the people that hurt can understand it

You speakin' outlandish, I'ma show you how to make it all work
Another planet, it's a short term goal for me'

 

In many ways, it is now or never for me

 

Growing up I been told that the only way to make it is to enjoy the present. Growing up I been told the only way to be successful is being productive

 

My mom ingrained this idea to me early on that there is no guarantee for a future. Future is not guaranteed, rather present is. Present, according to her, is where all the magic happens and where control is 100% certain. She told me the only way to gain 100% of the control is if you do 100% of the work so that by the end you don't have to worry about everything else that is going on

 

Life experiences have only confirmed this for me. I remember when I was in university, my second year, I felt comfortable and thought there were no way I couldn't graduate. I relaxed a bit and took everything for granted, that's when the news hit that I failed the course. That hit me harder than the thunder in Oklahoma, since I never thought I could fail the course. I mean, I only thought it was possible in year 1, but I was in year 2.

 

That experience really got me thinking about everything. What is my priority? What do I want out of life? What is it that I should be doing as opposed to what I want? That whole summer was a summer of pain, a reflection of all the times I failed. I thought about quitting but told myself: this was just the beginning, not end.

 

I went into year 3 with a vengeance, thinking this was finally the year everything clicked. I paid extra attention to courses, I did all my homework, finished all of them on time, I even paid attention to after class tutorial programs as I attended several sessions to boost my grade. Eventually, everything did click and hard work did pay off.

 

You think, when you are young, that you got all the time in the world. When you are in your 20s, you think the world is yours and yours only. When you are in your 30s, you start settling down and becoming more realistic. When you are in your 40s, you are no longer this reckless person from the 20s, rather you are the smart and wise person you always dreamed to be. When you are in your 50s, you realize you are starting to approach retirement age and everything you wanted to do, you don't have much time to do.

 

5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 25 years. What was once a golden opportunity for you quickly dwindles. What was once a young man quickly turns into an old man. You think you have all the time in the world but you don't. You think you have it all but reality hits. What was once a dream quickly got shattered.

 

It's now or never. You don't have as much time as you think, so every opportunity counts. You don't have as much leverage as you think, which is why the present moment dictates everything.