Why You Can't Afford To Delay
By: Goncalo Hoshi
Tags: Self Improvement, Stoicism, Life, Life Lessons, Death

Why You Can't Afford To Delay

Socrates, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Jobs, Alexandre The Great, Sigmund Freud, Bruce Lee, Frida Kahalo, Marcus Aurelius, etc.

All of the above, for how different from one another, all have one thing in common.

It’s not how much money, success, fame, or recognition they were able to attain during their lives, not at all.

What they all share is a fate destined for you and me soon enough.

One shared between everyone that has and will ever live.

Death.

This end of life as we know it, is, to say the least, an overwhelming idea to come to acceptance to, after all, life is all we know.

But death? Oh, death brings with it a full suitcase of terrifying unanswered questions, the ones a 4-year-old sometimes throws out, leaving you grasping for words:

“What happens after we die?” — Being the one my sister dropped the other day

To top it off, it symbolizes the end of our journey as we know it. All the resources we gathered, the people we met and loved, the skills we developed, and the memories we cherish will soon come to an end.

We will have to let go of them, regardless of whether or not we are ready… And that is terrifying.

A deeply scary feeling and idea which, quite often, leads us to push it away from our minds, after all, that day is still a long time from now…

Right?

We Think We Have Tomorrow

While we wouldn’t be able to live properly if we were in a constant state of fearing death, to live as if it will never happen can be equally as harmful.

Not in the short-term sense of fear and anxiety, there we are fine, but in the long-term one of regret and unfulfilled potential.

A sharp pain, to come in the future, that keeps building up as we delay the pursuits we, deep down in our core, know to be the ones we can’t afford to delay.

The book left unwritten, the painting abandoned, the business which never became more than an idea.

All pursuits which are convenient to delay in the present, after all, with tiring work and time for your partner and then some to relax, it seems near impossible to find a block where you can sit down, without distractions, and get to attack these ventures as well as you know you can.

It seems as if it just isn’t meant for you.

Others who did it must have some mystical ability you just weren’t lucky enough to possess since birth.

A convenient excuse, one that makes us feel good, but nonetheless, one that couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, as far as I’ve been able to tell, we are all very similar, especially, in the way we react to certain impulses and thoughts and emotions.

When confronted with an inconvenient task, no matter if it is one we know to be essential to us or one like washing the dishes, the initial impulse is widely common: delaying.

An impulse based on the perception that we still have a lot of time left, that tomorrow will come for many years ahead, and as such, a small delay today won’t be that harmful.

The first big problem with this line of thought is that, for how safe and organized our society seems, we are never, ever, granted tomorrow.

Ever.

Despite the high-likelihood of living until around 80 years old, that being the average, of course, there is plenty of us who will fall short of that. I could be one of those and so could you.

Unfortunately, statistically speaking, one of you reading this article will die before 30 years old. Around 1 in 1900 people will pass before they can even have a mid-life crisis.

Hopefully, it isn’t you… But it could be.

Because of this exact reason, as I see it, we have no business delaying the pursuits that matter to us, regardless if they seem like a waste of time for those surrounding us.

Painting marvel heroes onto classic paintings? Go for it. Writing short comedy sketches and uploading them on youtube? Please do. Streaming yourself carving wooden sculptures? “brox_” has 1.3 MILION followers on Twitch doing exactly that. Insert idea you are thinking about but are not sure about? YES.

Regardless of what it is, if it calls for you, if it gives some higher meaning to your life, then don’t do yourself the disservice of wasting the time you have for yourself not pursuing them.

As Jordan B. Peterson said:

It’s a luxury to pursue what makes you happy; it’s a moral obligation to pursue what you find meaningful.

Now, is it overwhelming to get started? Of course!

It's scary to confront the idea we have in our minds of what we can be, with the reality of where we are right now. We don’t want to disappoint ourselves, to kill the image of perfection held so dearly in between our ears.

It’s easier to delay for tomorrow, hoping that, with time, the solution to our procrastination will arrive.

That it will be easier.

I’m sorry to be the one breaking the news for you, but that moment will not arrive by simply waiting, it never has, for anyone. Instead, what works much better, after understanding we can’t afford to delay, is to start as small and easy as possible, develop consistency with this seemingly insignificant step, and then, only after consistency is developed, start increasing the pace.

It may seem like the progress is too slow, but better slow and forward than standing in the same place.

Your Last Day

“Death smiles at every man, and all a man can do is smile back.”

Not the one at work or school, not even the one with your current partner.

The last day I'm referring to is the one when you get to blink your eyes for the last time.

We don’t want to imagine it — “I still have 50 years left to live” — is the initial thought that pops into my mind even writing about it here, but for how much pains me to think about it, one day that counter will reach zero.

Either in 100 years or tomorrow, but it will arrive. For everyone.

Not only that but, for 99% of us, everything we are and do will be forgotten about, and for the remaining 1%, in 1000 years likely they will be forgotten too.

With seeming insignificance when put in the higher perspective of time, why then do we need to worry about these pursuits, after all, if no one will remember, why should we care?

Because in this life, the one we currently live, each one of us only gets 1 chance at it.

As I see it, due to it-s fleeting nature, we must live it as best as we can, with meaning and integrity, delaying short-term gratification for what gives true meaning to our lives, knowing that this way we can sleep well at night knowing we are doing what we were put here to do.

Not only fulfilled but also proud of ourselves, fully aware that on the opposite side lies a life of regret and wasted potential, a life that, as a lot of us would perceive it, not worth living.

Finally, the “no one will remember” argument, in my opinion, is a lie.

Obviously, 99% of people don’t know who created the first car, fridge, vaccine, or other crucial discoveries to our long-term survival. However, even if they don’t know the name, they benefit from their work.

People who pursued their “art”, giving it their all, fulfilling all the potential they could, people who made life exponentially better for the rest of us. These are remembered through their work.

Through what they did and who they had to become to deliver it, and even if your ambitions seem much smaller, for example, creating a successful youtube channel, know that the right video at the right time can save someone’s life.

The right song, right poem, even the right quote.

By not using your one life as best as you can you are doing a disservice to not only yourself, but to every generation to come.

Make you and them proud.

Thank you for reading.

Before You Go…

What if I told you there was advice written and published thousands of years ago, that presents us with the source of what we actually need?

Not only procrastination wise but for pretty much everything we struggle with.

As a blank statement, I’d imagine you would find it hard to believe, after all, hasn’t there been any progress since the thousands of years that passed?

My answer to that would be: Absolutely!

Every area that we can think of, from sports to science to technology, is MILES ahead of what it was when this advice was written…

However, the foundation that allowed so much of this fast progress has, in my opinion, been anchored on the foundations that were left for us.

As Isaac Newton said:

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

The core of what it takes for humanity to keep striving and achieving bigger and bigger goals, the 6 core elements, have been written down as far back as 2500 years ago.

Unfortunately, it seems that more of us are trading these proven fundamentals, that if given enough time and effort, will truly propel us forward, for promises of quick and fast results.

Honestly, I understand.

With a lot of the older advice, it is complicated and dense to go through, the language is ancient, and quite honestly, it tends to get boring sometimes.

It is much more appealing to go to some random youtube video and get watered down information, that won’t really help, but that will keep us entertained.

Now, if you are tired of being entertained, tired of lackluster results, and above all, tired of not following through with what you truly desire, then what follows is exactly for you.

To help you, first of all with the focus part, and then with all the other steps, I have created “Paths of Progress”.

This is, to my knowledge, the first platform ever, to teach you this advice that seems to have been lost/watered down, in a way that is simple to understand…

And above all, simple to apply, giving you the step-by-step guidelines to go from consuming information, all the way to reaping its rewards.

So, if you’re ready to finally commit to long-term improvement, standing on the shoulders of giants to guide you forward…

Click here to learn more about “Paths of Progress” and start your journey.

See you inside.

Learn More About Paths of Progress Here → www.pathsofmeaning.com