Life is short, don’t wait for it to happen around you. I constantly encounter people who tell me they “don’t have the time”. Sometimes it’s colleagues who don’t have time to look for a better job or start a business. Often it is my students who can’t find the time to study or put in the extra effort to master the curriculum. Just yesterday, I was talking with a friend who told me he would love to start reading the Bible but he can’t find the time because his schedule is too hectic. Last month, I was talking with a business owner who couldn’t spend any time with his family because he was working too hard. Hard work is good but we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I can relate; I often feel too busy myself, but are we really too busy to allocate time for things that are truly important?

We have a finite amount of time on Earth. In the Epistle of James, he shares the statement, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14, NIV) We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, get up and make something happen today. You may die today and not have another chance to do whatever it is you need to do. Get off your butt and start a business, hug your Dad, or play catch with your son.

If you live through the day today you will have a total of 24 hours of time to allocate towards your various passions. Don’t you think in 24 hours you can find 15 or 30 minutes to move the needle towards reaching your life goals? According to the Nielsen organization, the average American watches 5 hours of TV a day. If you are average and you probably are, over 7 days this week you will waste 35 hours watching TV. That is just shy of the average 40 hour work week in America. This means you are likely to spend nearly as much time watching TV each week as you spend working. Why not take some of that 35 hours and read a book, do a chore, help a friend, or take a walk with your wife. Whatever your goal is, take a step towards it today.

Don’t sit around waiting for the magical goal fairy to swing by. (Spoiler alert: there is no goal fairy.) There also isn’t some rich businessman sitting at his desk thinking, “Man, I just have too much money. I need to hire some slacker who provides no measurable value to give it away to.” Thinking your dream job or opportunity will just fall in your lap is a fantasy. Proverbs 12:11 says, “He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.” (Proverbs 12:11 NIV) Sure, some people win the lottery, but it probably won’t be you. You need to create your own opportunity.

So don’t say you don’t have enough time. Your 24 hours today was the same as Warren Buffett’s 24 hours and he managed to make $37 million dollars. What did you get done with your time? Are you going to get up tomorrow and step on the same treadmill? Do the same things that don’t work? End the day wishing you owned your own business, spent more time with your family, or had more freedom? I say don’t let another day go by. Get up 15 or 30 minutes earlier tomorrow and start working hard towards your goals. “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23 NIV) I know this sounds like some sort of infomercial. Don’t worry, I am not setting you up to sell something to you. I don’t have a magical solution that cures all that ails you. I do know that you know what you need to work on, where you need to make gains in your life. I don’t want a penny from you but I do want you to take a step towards meeting those goals today, then tomorrow take another step and before you know it you will have gone a mile or two in the right direction.