On The Cusp Of Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a word used quite favorably by a lot of us in every avenue of our lives. “I’ll start studying for my exams tomorrow”. “I will make that call to my parents, tomorrow”. “I will prepare that client pitch tomorrow”. “I’ll submit my project due today, tomorrow (and spend today coming up with a fantastic excuse for doing so). “I will clean my room tomorrow”. “I will take my grandmother for that drive she’s been asking for tomorrow”. “I’m still angry for the mistakes I made and will apologize to my spouse tomorrow”. “I will stop being irritable tomorrow”. “I’ll take my calendar and replace today with tomorrow” (For some reason we never say the following things – “I’ll eat that piece of cake tomorrow”. “I’ll have my second drink tomorrow”. “I’ll wait until tomorrow to play video games”. “I’ll sleep in tomorrow”. “I’ll wait until tomorrow to post my pictures on social media to show the world how awesome I look at the party today”. “I’ll catch up with my Netflix shows tomorrow”).

Procrastination has to be one of the top human vices (I’m quite certain we’d like to call it a skill), surpassing others like our ability to be corrupt, greedy, conniving, lazy, and even Boston Red Sox fans. It’s a VIP card that we tend to use at every opportunity (And yes I mean every single opportunity that involves us doing anything that is not fun and games). In fact, the moment the world leadership declares that alien races do indeed exist (Imagine earthlings as the only inhabitants of the universe. Knowing our habits, we would have trespassed and ruined most of it by now), procrastination would have to be earth’s entry towards an intergalactic event, which would give us a galaxy-sized advantage over the others.

Despite our tendency to put things off since the dawn of day, I’m often amazed at the ease and fluency with which we procrastinate on the most pressing issues in our lives; Preparation for large client deals, competitive examinations, treatment for health ailments, spending time with an aging parent or a growing child, filing taxes, beginning our fitness regime, resolving grave issues with loved ones, proposing to our love (so that we attend her wedding as the groom and not the best man), and even fixing the hinge on our front door so that we don’t get slapped in the face every time we leave or enter home.

And then when we wake up each day, we wonder why it sucks as much as the previous one. I suppose we expect life to give us a break since we give most things a break ourselves until tomorrow arrives. Unfortunately, (or fortunately since we can push things back another day) every time we begin a new day, it’s still today and tomorrow hasn’t quite arrived. We don’t move a muscle but expect that miracles will take place and life will become more cheerful on its own accord. And when this doesn’t happen we will whip out our magic diary of excuses (Somehow we want to do this immediately and never wait for tomorrow). Who are these excuses for anyway? The world doesn’t really care about what we do with our lives. Our loved ones do, but despite their valiant efforts, they watch us painfully wither our lives away (We on the other hand still believe we have exemplary prioritizing and time management skills).

So what’s it going to take for us to realize that when we think of a ‘better tomorrow’, we really need to start acting today? What’s it going to take for us to take our preparation for life’s challenges more seriously, beginning today? What’s it going to take for us to realize that enough time has been spent leading a sedentary lifestyle? What will it take for us to pay heed to our failing health and fitness? When will we realize and accept that it’s our redundant skillset and not our environment, that is keeping us from progressing at the workplace? What’s it going to take for us to realize that our grandparents are in their twilight years and if we don’t spend time with them today, there will be no tomorrow? What’s it going to take for us to mend our relationship with our estranged brother? What would it take for us to recognize that too much time has already passed, and with that, a lot of life has passed us by?

Laziness is only a factor that comes into play when procrastinating on trivial everyday things (That still need to be done). It’s the fear of letting ourselves go in the direction that we truly desire internally that keeps us from taking action today. We are afraid of the unknown and the risks that come with testing our potential. And rather than encouraging ourselves to take a leap of faith and back ourselves, we resort to making excuses for avoiding exactly what we need to do. We overthink, which eventually leads to inaction.

Whether its gaining knowledge and implementing it, organizing our lives more effectively, or simply creating a mindset that allows us to prepare everything ‘tomorrow’ fires at us, the right time is always now (you may start in two hours, as long as it’s still today).

Me First

We love ourselves, don’t we? We only want the best for ourselves. And we like to prove our importance to ourselves time and again. We will be happy to break into a queue at a bus stop (Because the other idiots who were there before us have all the time in the world but we don’t. We do this on the sly and just slip in, or do so boldly if we have the girth to provide that intimidating confidence). We will drive past a red light, or even block a lane that turns left (even though we want to go straight) just because it brings us closer to the head of the pack (And do it with gusto because we always know someone that owns these streets. Besides the person in the wailing ambulance behind is likely to meet his maker anyway). We will carry extra weapons to a sale just in case someone gets a hold of something we want before we do, and we need to make a compelling argument for them to hand it over (By handing them a beating. Don’t believe me? See some Black Friday carnage on YouTube). We will happily push an old woman aside and jump into the only cab available (Like we couldn’t walk those 800 meters to our destination. Besides courtesy and offering help to the needy is a thing of the past). We will bribe a cop upon breaking a traffic law (Because lawful proceedings aren’t for us. But we will certainly participate in a peaceful protest against bribery).

We always seem too important to wait in lines, too busy to respond to calls and emails in a timely manner, too self-centred to think beyond our own whims, too unperturbed about our ‘chalta hai’ (big deal, I don’t care) attitude towards everything, too proud to admit that our approach hurts many around us, strangers and loved ones alike. We always want to jump at the opportunities (and in all likelihood create them) to do something when it is likely to afford us a temporary high (People also seem to resort to smoking and alcohol to achieve this state all the time. The number of heart attacks, depression cases, and suicides will increase significantly if these two sources of ambrosia ceased to exist), make us feel all important, or offer us a feeling of prominence, even if it is meaningless in the grand scheme of things (And often this is achieved by making others feel comparatively insignificant, only to boost our own flailing and misdirected ego).

We will be the first to ensure we do whatever it takes when it is a matter of convenience to us, no matter how inconvenient it is for others (Eating half the birthday cake at a 4-year olds birthday party; Flipping TV channels so incessantly, that it might have you believe that Keanu Reeves is starring in a regional Indian film, shot in space, singing a song around trees, playing badminton, and running with Wildebeests, while being chased by half of the criminal world in New York City; Spreading our legs across three seating spaces in a train that has at least two dozen people hanging on the window grill, on the outside; increasing the temperature of the AC beyond the outside temperature because we refuse to carry a jacket or shawl, while others experience the benefits of a sauna for free; and forcing people to read blogs every week, when they clearly might have other things to do).

And when we ourselves are victim to this attitude, we’ll throw a fit, and complain about how people are disrespectful, irresponsible, uncaring, unprofessional, selfish, arrogant, and add the choicest expletives after each of these adjectives. And this blame game has been going on for eons (Extraterrestrials watching from space would see a very coordinated finger-pointing dance form, worth capturing on video). We love to pass the buck around (We need to blame all those ‘passing the parcel’ game sessions we had during our childhood. We learned young). We love to blame the whole world for not only its shortcomings but ours too. Mahatma Gandhi himself professed against trading an eye for an eye (And for good reason because we would look quite silly if we had one eye belonging to us and the other, the one we traded for)

How often do we feel the need to take responsibility for our own actions? Do we ever feel the need to change or improve in order to be happier? Do we ever stop to consider the negative impact we may be having on our surroundings? Or are we too busy expecting others to alter their personality and methods, so that we could have a little less to complain about? It’s not his job or her job, or their job to ensure that life is better for us. Life hits us all the same at different stages. And it’s the ones that accept this reality, stay positive, and take responsibility for their situation, who share a better relationship with life. If we are willing to lead in all our pompous, self-serving, ego-massaging, inconveniencing, senseless activities regularly, why not in the ones that require maturity and understanding? Why not in the ones that will turn our attitude and life around only if we gave it a shot? Why not in the ones that impact us and the world around us positively? Do we believe that this responsibility is only for the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, Socrates, the Spartans, Mozart, Leonardo da Vinci, Rosa Parks, Jack Ma, Jesse Owens, Steve Jobs, and several others to shoulder? We are all blessed with spirit, righteousness, generosity, strength, creativity, empathy and courage. It’s up to us to define how we use these gifts in our lifetime.

Stop blaming your kids for your misadventures, stop yelling at your wife for a bad day at work, stop cursing your client for a failed sale, stop accusing the economy for your poor financial situation, stop blaming the traffic if you weren’t disciplined enough to reach your destination on time, stop bullying people to address your insecurities, stop trying to finish your local bar’s alcohol stock in one night, and for heaven’s sake, stop at a red light.

Suck it up. You’re as much of a problem as the next person. Stop looking over your shoulder, I mean you. If we must be first, then let’s be the first to effect positivity in our lives and those of others. Let’s take responsibility for our own situations, and let’s recognize our abilities to become a leader in matters that make our souls proud.

With great power comes great responsibility. But with great responsibility comes great power. Cease your responsibility and harness the power that comes with it to create your legacy.

Me first? Yes, you first.