My alarm clock goes off very early in the morning. And every day when I turn it off, I make the one decision that after three years, I still struggle to make–the biggest decision I’ll make that day. Will I go back to sleep and simply ‘exist’? Or will I get up and try to become something more than I was yesterday? You’d think the decision would be easier by now. After all, three years is a long time.
I decide. And when my feet hit the floor, I whisper a short prayer. “Make my life matter,” I say before putting on my slippers, going downstairs, and putting on some coffee before I start to write.
But I’m not just praying for blessings over my writing. It’s bigger than that. I’m praying for my eyes to be opened so I can see opportunities to make an impact on someone else. I’m praying for patience with those I don’t want to deal with. I’m praying for help, not just to get through the day, but to make my day count for something and matter to someone else. I’m praying to be different.
Because it’s easier to fall in line. It’s easier to let life happen to us. It’s easier to wait on the shore, where it’s dry and safe, for our ship to come in instead of swimming out to sea to go after a dream.
One day, we will all look back on our lives and ask: Did I give up on my dream too easily? Did I stand on the shore, watching an opportunity slowly pass me by when I had every chance to jump in, get wet, and grab hold while I still could? We’ll ask, Did my life mean anything to this world?
Because the dreams in our heart really represent a single, important question: Will my life matter?
But I have to remind myself that I don’t need to mean something to this world for my life to have mattered. I only have to fulfill my purpose in it and reach for my dream before an audience of one.
Most people exist. Few of us live. My morning prayer is a reminder to myself that I can’t do it alone, because I need help. I need courage. I need to jump in and grab hold while I still have a chance.
The older I get, the faster life seems to move. I’m ready to make mine count. I’m done playing it safe. One day, my life’s story will flash before my eyes. I want it to be a story that’s worth watching.