If you want to know the power one second can have on life, think of the second the sperm connected with the egg that created you. One second earlier or one second later could have allowed a different sperm to win the lottery of life and be the difference between you and another child.
If you are a parent, you know that every child of yours is a unique creation. The one and only option out of millions of possible kids.
Accidents are a great way to understand the power of one second. One tiny delay, one extra look, one more question, just one moment more or less can change our direction for better or worse. Yet life still passes by and we cannot rewind to change our mind and make different choices.
If only we forgot something and turned home again to see that we left the stove on. If only we dropped our keys before getting in the car and missed the drunk driver at the junction. If only we poured our cup of tea at the kitchen bench instead of carrying it over to the dining table and accidentally spilling on our kid and burning them. If only we answered the phone that rang as we were rushing to work and missed the explosion at the gas station next to our work place. If only the car battery went flat before we left for work on September 11.
Seconds are more than the difference between bad things and even worse things. Often, they are the difference between opportunities we made the most of and opportunities we missed out on because our heads were down and we did not see them passing by.
When we see successful people, we say that they are lucky. We do not consider that they made different choices in their life. They took advantage of the same seconds we ignored. We have the same 24 hours in a day. Some of us simply use them better that others. Some let time pass by, in fear of failing, fear of being different, fear of the unknown. Others (the most successful of us), live every second of life to the fullest and grab every opportunity.
What kind of person are you? What kind would you like to be? If you are a parent and contemplating your parenting philosophy, which one of them you would you want your kids to be?
Unfortunately, not all our choices are within our power. For example, we never choose to be born, what name to have or who to be born to. We do not choose our skin color, our place of birth, our language, our race, religion or culture. Therefore, we have to do everything we can to practice our choices whenever we can. We need to see the opportunities, embrace the seconds of joy and live life.
Life is a series of seconds, like a timer, ticking away with no dials to rewind. Every second that passes is lost forever.
Don’t let time pass by. Do not wait for a loss to teach you to love and appreciate. If you are one of those people who need a loss to see the value in taking each opportunity, remember that a second that passes in which you do not live your life like you want to, do not love like you want to, experience like you want to, or feel like you want to is a lost second that will never return.
So be sure to use each second wisely. Take every opportunity. Enjoy every possibility.
Live, love and be happy!
Ronit
