Why Not You? Why Not Now?

Christian Trent
Jul 10, 2017 · 2 min read
Photo by Ben Sweet on Unsplash

“Comfort kills. Are you doing something on a daily basis that pushes you a little?” —Elise Russell

When was the last time you woke up full of enthusiasm for the day just to be defeated as soon as you glanced at your smartphone and saw the txt messages, emails, and calendar reminders piled up? Or, perhaps it was the latest headline informing you of yet more senseless violence at a school around the corner? I'm sure we have all had those days. For some of us those days can seem like everyday!

In my industry, creativity thrives off of excitement and passion for the task at hand. Yet those sentiments can be elusive as the grind of the day bears down and the weight of innocent lives lost grives our souls. How can we maintain positivity and drive when it feels as though society is taking one step forward and two steps back? How can we become the change we want to see in the world, rather than grow apathetic to the plight of our brethren?

May I humbly suggest a few starters that will carry you far and wide, no matter your application?

1. It all starts with you. If not you, then who? The power to make change is within each one of us awaiting action. Are you dissatisfied with work, your personal life, or injustices taking place in our world? Then begin the process of transformation by changing the way you think about those things. Or, as Soren Kierkegaard would say, “Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.” Thoughts have the power to free or enslave us and our lives will go in the direction of those thought patterns.

2. Why not now? Procrastination is the greatest enthusiasm killer, the longer you fail to act the more daunting our dreams of true change become! While we are on a Kierkegaard kick, he also said perfectly. “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself entirely.” We must all stop believing the lie that there will be time to do something later, we have to make a start today if we ever want to see a shift for good in our lives, our land and our world.

Lastly, I will leave you with this thought. If you truly believed anything was possible, that you could accomplish whatever you set out for, what would you do today to make that a reality? Would you say, “Why not me, why not now?”

Christian Trent

Written by

Interdisciplinary designer, writer and strategist || http://christiantrent.com

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