It's later than you think

This piece was originally published as part of the 57th edition of my newsletter.

Throughout our lives, we often find ourselves thinking "I'll do that later", "There's still time", "It can wait", "Next year we'll...", etc.

In reality, when we think like that, we're just making bets against an unknown future. It's impossible to know what the future might hold. Yes, we might have time later. Yes, we might be able to X a year from now. But it's all hypothetical.

"Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think ... The years go by, as quickly as a wink"

We shouldn't gamble our future mindlessly. Instead, we need to make the best of our most precious resource: our time.

You might want to become an expert at the piano, an opera singer, a famous author, a rock star, a wealthy businesswoman, a jet pilot, or a politician. You might actually reach some of those goals, but there's only so much we can do during our ~4000 weeks on earth. Lots of people keep dreaming and acting as if they were immortal, but none of us are (and it's probably for the better).

The bigger the decision, the more fear-inducing it is. That's where decision-making power, gut feeling, and optimism are decisive.

Choisir, c'est renoncer (Choosing is refusing)

Making decisions requires choosing. Choosing to live a life that is more in line with our aspirations and desire for freedom. Daring to hope for a brighter future amidst uncertainty and doubt. Choosing means inviting life. It's preferring to make tough calls rather than to refrain, living in fear, and having regrets.

Choosing an absolute order between important life goals is the toughest part of our personal journeys. It implies consciously choosing what we might never get to do and being at peace with that, knowing that there's no time for it all.

We all grow up thinking that time is infinite, and often realize too late that it really isn't. Life is shorter than we imagine.

"Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, It's later than you think"

That's it for today! ✨

About Sébastien

Hello everyone! I'm Sébastien Dubois. I'm an author, founder, and CTO. I write books and articles about software development & IT, personal knowledge management, personal organization, and productivity. I also craft lovely digital products 🚀

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