Years ago, I was out on the golf course with Laddy, one of my Yodas, when he asked me: "What's your shelf life?"
"What do you mean?" I said.
"Well, I was in a grocery store this morning and I noticed all the products have an expiration date on them telling you when they're done," Laddy said.
"Yes...." I said, still waiting. I couldn't figure out what he meant.
"Well," Laddy said, "when are you going to expire?"
I said, "I don't know."
"Exactly, you don't know. But most things have an expiration date. It's just not stamped on the label. You've got one. I've got one. We don't know what it is, but we're going to expire anyway. So let me ask you this. You've been talking about writing a book for a long time.... When's the expiration date on that?"
The next time I was in the grocery store, I picked up a carton of cottage cheese and remembered what Laddy had said. So I turned the label around and noticed that the date on the cottage cheese was today! I thought, "What if today is the expiration date for my book and I haven't written it yet? I have a lot to say. I have a lot of information that I want to share with others that may help them." And that's how I started working on this book in earnest. I immediately reflected on all of the things that I wanted to share in this book and started jotting them down. It was just the motivation I needed to get me going.
So I'm going to ask you the same question: What is your shelf life?
What do you want to start? What do you want to finish? What's your purpose? What's your vision? What dreams or desires do you have? Are you the best doctor, the best lawyer, the best truck driver you could possibly be? Are you the best husband, father, mother that you could possibly be? You'd better get serious. How do you know when your opportunity to be those things or do those things will expire? It might be today!
What is your shelf life?
By making one choice after another, you can go from good to great. The choice is up to you.
You always have a choice!