Wednesday, December 30, 2009

FREE BEER TOMORROW!




FREE BEER TOMORROW!

As a member of the Fairfield Optimist Club this sign would greet me at the bar every Thursday night. Free beer tomorrow promised false hope for the majority of our members, tomorrow never came. And so the members would belly up to the bar and fork over their cash while longingly admiring what the future might bring.

2010 begins the onslaught of many tomorrows that offer Free Beer, lost weight, new relationships, discarded habits and every other ambition under the sun labeled as a new years resolution. Our signs might read: Totally Fit Tomorrow, Married Tomorrow, Smoke Free Tomorrow, Debt Free Tomorrow etc. We do this every year. Is it because it works or is it because we have no alternatives? If it did work, why must we repeat it again next year?

When confronted, our Optimist bartender would say, “ it’s today not tomorrow, come back tomorrow.” Of course if you came back tomorrow he would just repeat the same response and the vicious cycle would continue. Isn’t that how we treat our new years resolutions? Don’t we promise ourselves that tomorrow we are going to put our foot down? When we live for tomorrow, today comes and goes without fanfare.

What did you do exciting yesterday? How about the day before? Can’t remember? If everyday is spent concerned about tomorrow, then the vicious cycle is the first thing we should abandon tomorrow. Or, how about today? Why don’t we abandon an age-old tradition TODAY? Now there’s a twist, let’s try to get the most out of just this day and see if we don’t remember it tomorrow. Ever wonder why businesses aren't open 48 hours? I can see the sign now 'Drive-Up window...Open 48Hours!'

Task: attack today like everyone is watching and there will be a story detailing how you got value out of every minute. Don’t worry about tomorrow until it becomes today. Give it your best shot and then call me and tell me about it. Better yet, meet me at the local pub and we’ll have FREE BEER TODAY!