Why You Shouldn't Wait...NOW Is Your Time! Part 2

"Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation..." - 2 Corinthians 6:2 AMP

URGENT: very important and needing immediate attention; calling for immediate attention; showing that something is very important and needs immediate attention

Hi again!

Last time I dropped a hint that there was something Dr. King knew that Goldilocks didn't.

If you recall I mentioned the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears and compared it to Dr. King's Letter From a Birmingham Jail.


You may think this story has nothing at all to do with Dr. King, but I can assure you it does. Let me explain.

In the fairy tale, Goldilocks looked around for things that were "just right": the porridge, the chairs, and eventually the bed where she was found sleeping.

Many people today live with a Goldilocks mentality. They believe everything in life has to be "just right." Someone else has to make things "just right" for them or they can't enjoy life. They can't be happy. 

George Bernard Shaw referred to them as "...a selfish, feverish little clod of ailments and grievances believing the world should devote itself to making [them] happy..."

But guess what people..?  

Life ain't a fairy tale. There's no such thing as "just right," at least not the kind that shows up on its own. And certainly not the kind that you sit around waiting for someone else to hand over to you.

Rev. King knew back in his day, just as in today's world, that what you want from life doesn't become reality until you place a demand on it. 

"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life is not a game of chance, there is no "better break," unless you make it so. (with apologies to Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation )

Just as it was in Rev. King's day, so it is in ours. Waiting for others to make everything good happen in your life is a losing proposition. Whatever changes you want to make in your life start with you. Yes...YOU.

But not so fast. You need to know some things... 

Know that as you take action to change your life, people you are close to may be disappointed in you. They won't be shy to express their disappointment because you didn't live according to their expectations. They'll criticize you, second guess your decisions. 

Since they don't want you to change, they'll pressure you to surrender, give up on your dreams, just take life as it comes. Because they don't understand what you do or why you do it, they may they may turn their backs on you, maybe even abandon you when they realize they can't "talk some sense" into you.

If they can't do that, they'll try to make you wait for a more convenient time to seek your dreams. "If what you want is meant to be you won't have to work for it. It'll just happen," they say. Their motto is the old Doris Day tune:

Que sera, sera...whatever will be, will be...
The future's not ours to see...
Que sera, sera...

Reality check people: If you take their advice you'll wind up like these folks:

Yeah...stranded in the middle of nowhere with Gilligan, waiting for somebody to rescue you, sailing a vessel that may never come.

But here's something else you should know...

Despite their beliefs to the contrary, your dreams are not a waste of time. They're an indication that you're here to serve a purpose. 

You were not placed on this earth to please the do-nothings in life. It's their job to make themselves happy, not yours. If they don't change their lives and they're miserable it's not your fault. It's their own.

Yes, they may be disappointed but there are many more people in this world who will be let down even more if you don't follow the dream in your heart. They need you to do so because you can make a positive difference in their lives.

Your purpose in life is to serve others from a free and willing heart. Your gifts and talents are for their benefit. Maybe you haven't met them yet. That's okay. As you fully express your uniqueness, you will cross their paths, and they will cross yours:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us...Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine...It's not just in some of us; It's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, We...give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson

So stop waiting for things to be "just right." There's only one Goldilocks, and it ain't YOU. 

Your name isn't Cinderella or Snow White. Stop waiting for some "happily ever after" fantasy. There's no Prince Charming. There's no steamship sailing, no plane flying overhead to rescue you from your Gilligan's Island existence.

Take a tip from Dr. King. Stop waiting for life to voluntarily give you what you want. Your time is NOW. Demand what you want from life, then...GO AFTER IT! Face it folks, you either decide what you want, or settle for what you get. There is no middle ground.

You may lose friends, you may lose face (in the short term anyway), you may even lose the approval of loved ones. But in their place you'll meet new friends and acquaintances who will respect and admire your courageous stand. 

You can inspire them and encourage them through your example. You can help them to stand on their own two feet. And in the end when you've won your own personal battle for freedom, you can look down from your mountaintop like Dr. King and say...

That's all for now, gotta run.  Until next time, remember...

Keep it simple...  See ya!