A lot’s happened over the past ten years or so.
We’ve had two major tsunamis – first in South East Asia 7 years ago that claimed the lives of almost a quarter of a million people, the second earlier this year which devastated the north eastern part of Japan.
There was the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a company worth over $600 billion dollars, causing widespread panic in financial markets just three short years ago.
Then last week we had a bombing and subsequent shooting spree in Norway of all places.
We lost Amy Whitehouse at the age 27 just last week and Heath Ledger at 25 just a short time before he would receive the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
These are just some of the events that remind us just how fragile life is and how when we least expect it anything can happen.
I’m not talking about Murphy’s Law here. The infamous, “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
But unfortunately, on this planet, bad things do happen. And we never know when, where and to who they will happen.
So what does this mean for us?
In a word – nothing.
Watching the evening news makes you almost not want to leave your house for fear of getting attacked by a shark, robbed at gunpoint, hit by a car, or a whole host of other things.
But life marches on with or without us.
We cannot put our lives on hold because of fear that something could happen.
I know people who have been afraid to invest their earnings for years. Always waiting for the right time. As a result they let countless opportunities pass them by.
Here’s something to jot down in your mental Rolodex – there is no such thing as the “right” time.
We have but one life to live. We can choose to let fear get the better of us and wait for things to happen to us, or we can make things happen.
Fear ruins so many people’s chance at happiness, wealth, success and relationships.
There is no such thing as a perfect life.
There are highs and there are lows. And we must prepare for both equally.
But whatever happens, don’t just let life pass you by.
One day our time in the sun will come to end, but until then, I’m going to give it all I’ve got.
I hope you will, too.
Adrian Shepherd