“Tomorrow is another day. But so was yesterday.” – Rene Ricard

A participant in a recent SOMEDAY Salon said, “I love the title of your new book. How did you come up with it“

I told her, “I’ve met so many people on my travels who talk about what they’re going to do someday. Whether it’s take more time off work, take more time for their family or take better care of themselves … they tell me they plan (hope?) to do it when they’re not so busy, when things slow down at work, when the kids go off to college … fill in the blank.

The problem with that? The longer we wait, the less likely it is we’ll act. Waiting is a prescription for regret.

What is something important you’ve been postponing? Why?

Are you waiting for the right time, for the right person? Are you waiting for someone else to make the first move or to make it happen? Waiting for more time, energy, money, support, clarity … what?

Please know that perfectionism is another word for procrastination.

As Paulo Coelho says, “One day you’re going to wake up and there won’t be any time left to do the things you’ve always wanted to do.”

Good things do not come to those who wait, they come to those who initiate.

Please get crystal clear about something that’s calling you – whether it’s to spend time this weekend doing a hobby you’ve set aside – to start getting back in shape – to go to a movie/concert – and then read the quotes below.

Select one that really sings to you. Print it and post it where it will be in-sight, in-mind so your good intentions don’t drift out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

When you’re about to procrastinate – say the quote OUT LOUD. They may be just the right words at the right time to motivate yourself to DO what you really want to do instead of putting it off … again.

30 Quotes To Motivate You to Stop Procrastinating and Act NOW

1. “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the water slide, over-thinking it. You’ve got to go down the chute.” – Tina Fey
2. “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t; you’ll find an excuse.” – Jim Rohn
3. “Are you doing what you’re doing today because it works; or because it’s what you were doing yesterday?” – Dr. Phil McGraw
4. “Our life expands or contracts in proportion to our courage.” – Anais Nin
5. “Let us always be open to the miracle of a second chance.” – Rev. David Steir
6. “I have heard every excuse in the book, except a good one.” – Bob Greene
7. “Are you putting aside what you want most for what you want now?” – Zig Ziglar
8. “It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis.” – M. W. Bonano
9. “The trouble is, you think you have time.” -Buddha
10. “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” – Jack Canfield
11. “Once you’ve done the mental work, there comes a point you have to throw yourself into action and put your heart on the line.” – Phil Jackson
12. “Perhaps we never really appreciate anything until it is challenged.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
13. “When we neglect what matters most to us, then that becomes the matter with us.” -Paula Reeves
14. . “The scariest moment is always right before you start.” – Stephen King
15. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek.” – Barack Obama 
16. “Some people get stuck because they keep telling themselves stories about how stuck they are.” – Anonymous
17. . “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis
18. “We are what we settle for.” – Janis Joplin
19. . “I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day.” – Albert Camus
20. “It gets late early out there.” – Yogi Berra
21. “Don’t tell it like it is, tell it like you want it to be.” – Esther Hicks
22. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with you one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver
23. . “I didn’t change. I just woke up.” – Pinterest post (I wrote about this here.)
24. “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso (Also attributed to David Viscott)
25. “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan
26. “My parents always told me I wouldn’t amount to anything because I procrastinated so much. I told them, ‘Just you wait.'” – Judy Tenuta
27. . “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” – Nelson Mandela
28. . “People can’t jump on your bandwagon if it’s parked in the garage.” – Sam Horn

Please understand, one of these days is none of these days.

Next time you’re about to put something off, fast-forward to the future. Imagine how you’re regret not doing this while you had the chance.

Get crystal clear that life is precious – and not guaranteed. Don’t assume an automatic tomorrow. Honor the gift of life by doing what matters TODAY.

I promise. You will never regret honoring what really matters to you by acting on it; you will only regret not doing it sooner.

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Sam Horn, Intrigue Expert and TEDx speaker, is on a mission to help people create a meaningful life-work that adds value for all involved. Her books have been featured in NY Times, on NPR, and presented to Nationwide, Boeing, NASA, Intel, ASAE, Cisco, Amgen, YPO. This is excerpted from her book SOMEDAY is Not a Day in the Week, which received a recommendation from Library Journal and Oprah producer Sheri Salata.