Kay:

Hey there, Questers, and welcome back. It’s Tuesday, December 28th, and this is episode 497. We have four episodes left here of the Mentorship Quest as we know it, and we are relishing every day we have alongside you daily Questers. Today our quote for you is short and sweet by Simone de Beauvoir. And she tells us, “Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.”

Shi:

Well, we’re always going to be fans of quotes that rhyme, and I think because Simone was French, that likely this probably didn’t rhyme in its original form, so just so fun that it does in the translation It makes it feel more meaningful. Here on this final Tuesday of the Mentorship Quest, I think this is such an appropriate quote to bring forward. Kay and I lovingly call – and in fact, if you listened last year, you already know this – we call this week between Christmas and New Year’s weird week. Often, this is a weird week. Kids are out of school. It’s the last week of the year. It’s this in-between week between holidays.

So, you’re kind of still in holiday mode but you’re ready to start the new year and clean up the decorations and clean up your diet and your habits. So, you’re eating leftover cheese for breakfast, you’re working half days, up is down, left is right. It’s a weird week in general, but it’s also a great opportunity to reflect on a quote like this, which encourages us to take action. What consistent action turns into is activity. And, of course, activity is one of the major things that can change and propel our lives forward. That’s what she’s telling us is to change it today by acting today.

Kay:

You know, many of us wait until four days from now, when the new year comes to start taking action on the life that we want in the future. We have a tendency as humans to procrastinate, whether this is in the middle of the year, maybe it’s July and it’s the Saturday Sunday syndrome. “I’ll start on Monday. I’ll just start on Monday. Well, I’ll get to my habits on Monday.” Well, maybe you’re in the position right now where you are saying, “I’ll get to those habits on Monday the third,” or “I’ll get to that on Sunday the second,” but what Simone here is telling us is that there isn’t that time. Time is right now. The time to change your life is immediately and to do it without delay. That means not in an hour from now, or I’ll think about it. Chances are you know one tiny action, one small thing that you could do that would just make you feel better like you were moving toward your dreams if you were to act on it and do it right now.

Shi:

I like this part about don’t gamble in the future, act now. When you don’t take action, when you stay stuck or immobile, then it is a gamble, then you do have to rely on things like hope. We should have hope whether we’re taking action or not. But hope coupled with action sure has a higher success rate than just hope alone, and that reducing the odds at the great tables of life is what Simone is telling us to do here. Don’t gamble on the future, act now. So how do you not or how do you make your future certain? How are you sure what can come about? While you can’t tell everything, what you can tell is if you’re throwing a dart at the board, you at least know you’re going to land on the board. If you’re not even throwing a dart, it’s not ever going to move or it’s certainly not going to land on the board. So, we’re not gambling by taking action. That action helps us at least get the dart on the board and it helps us gain clarity. We know that once we start taking action it can be a lot easier to keep it going or to feel the results of it. But if you take this from a workout sense, this can be one of those things that are tough. You don’t want to do it. You don’t want to take the action, but you know exercise is healthy for you. But that’s the gamble on the future. We’re gambling on ill health and not high energy levels when we do that, If we want to secure a healthy, vibrant future, we act literally, physically with our bodies right away.

Kay:

So, like Simone de Beauvoir tells us here on a day where we can choose to maybe take some action, “Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.”

Shi:

That brings us to your Tip Tuesday Quest this week. Write down a quest that resonates with you. It’s kind of a choose your own adventure. But whatever that is, help hold yourself accountable today and take actions as a reminder of what that outcome is you want. Keep this written quest in your wallet, or as a background on your phone to help you continue to take that action without delay. Are you ready?

Kay:

Let’s quest!