After ninety minutes of play the score is tied, and the yelling from the stands is deafening.
With just seconds remaining in the game he takes possession of the ball and finds himself in shooting distance, with only the goalkeeper to beat.
The crowd is on their feet and all the pressure is on him, on this one last chance to score.
In the cacophony of cheering, Andy Gray’s voice rings out:
“Is this the moment!!!”
Is This The Moment – In Your Life?
I’ve been thinking about that phrase a lot lately. Is this the moment. When I am faced with a difficult choice, opportunity or feel like giving up I wonder: Is this the moment that defines the direction my life will take? Is this the moment that will determine success – or the moment where I taste failure? Will this moment be a moment of weakness – or will it be my finest hour?
When I was younger I remember setting various goals and milestones that I would later achieve such as being valedictorian for my class or performing in front of a crowd with my band.
In many of my goals, there was always one moment that I looked forward to – a single moment where I could absolutely say yes, this is the end and I can check this off my todo list as “accomplished.”
As I look back on it however, I realize I was mistaken to put so much emphasis on those single isolated moments. I don’t think those moments actually define who I am or what I did, because my life is not made up of isolated moments that take place months or years apart.
Those moments were important, but only to symbolize the culmination of all my hard work and prior success. They are special because they are the end result, but many of the real defining moments came much before that – and passed by without me or anyone else noticing – and it’s time that I started paying more attention to those moments and those decisions.
Looking For My Band’s “Moment”
I had started to play guitar and quit a number of times before I finally brought my band together. I remember the day we started it – my friend Ron and I were hanging out late one evening talking about music and I told him we should start a band, because I had an idea for a song. I showed him the melody and hook I wanted to use, and he was in. We began writing the lyrics that same evening. Was that the moment?
Once we decided we were going to start the band, I finished a first draft of that song in a couple days. I played it and he laid down what would end up being the lead guitar portion. Now, perhaps that was the moment?
Soon after that we recruited a couple friends to be our drummer and bassist. Was that the moment?
Finally, we wrote a number of songs, recorded ourselves playing and played in front of a live crowd for the first time.
I don’t know what moment made the band – I do know however, that failing at any of the earlier moments would have broken it (or perhaps, resulted in a different band). Getting up in front of a crowd and performing was just the last step – and by the time we got there, we already had a number of accomplishments and many, many hours of practice. Every one of those hurdles, at that point in our band’s progress was “the moment.”
When Faced With Obstacles And Opportunities Ask Yourself: Is This The Moment?
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.”
– Colin Powell
Is this the moment. I’ve been using that phrase a lot lately to push through laziness and procrastination to work towards my goals.
- When I am working on a software project and want to quit, I ask myself: is this the moment? Is this the turning point where I go on to build something great – or is this the day I let my opportunity to change the world pass me by?
- When I know it is time to head to the gym, but am not really motivated to work out, I ask myself: Is this the moment? Is this where I push forth in spite of how I feel, or is this the moment I falter, blame the situation and nothing comes of all my effort?
Many of the biggest successes and moments in my life did not come out of nowhere – they were the result of tiny moments, moments that at the time seemed insignificant – but that in retrospect have made all the difference. A day that I decided to give away my frying pans on craig’s list. Books I picked up on a whim at the bookstore due to a friend’s recommendation. Times where I didn’t feel like taking a chance but said HELL WHY NOT and did anyway.
The next time you’re faced with a tough obstacle or an opportunity, and you feel fear, apprehension or just general apathy, here’s another mental trick I use: I start off by imagining my life ten years ago.
I imagine all the little decisions I’ve made and how those seemingly insignificant choices have turned me into the person you are today. The chances I took, and the different paths I could have taken if I had done things just a little differently – the things I may have had an opportunity to do, or the things I may have missed out on. I give myself some perspective, and realize that this single action I take will today will affect all of my tomorrows.
I don’t know what awaits any of us in the future, but I do know this: when I feel like taking the easy way out or pretending I don’t have to make a choice, I hear Andy Gray’s voice in the back of my mind, passionately yelling at me -
“Is this the moment!!!”
Enjoy this article? You should Tweet This and share it with your friends, or feel free to share it however you like using this shortened link: http://tr.im/isthisthemoment
If you like this article, you might also enjoy one of the new start pages I put up – Be Present In This Moment.
Some of my favorite articles this week include:
- You Can Only Change Once You Accept You’re In Control by Ali Hale over at TheBridgeMaker
- The Economics Of Fear (Don’t worry about the title – great inspiring read)
- Be True To Yourself over at Upgrade Reality
- Success Starts With The First Step by Lorenz over at at FindMeFit
- How to Deal With People Who Think You’re Crazy to Quit Your Job over at Aliventures
- Overcoming Procrastination Instantly Using Self Talk – one of my favorites over at Litemind
- If You Think You Haven’t Found Your Passion by Derek Sivers
P.S. – I’ve always shared articles like these via Twitter and StumbleUpon – I only share a portion here, since I come across so many interesting things every week. You should definitely follow me on Twitter if you want more.
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