Life can change in an instant. Everything you know and love and take comfort in can be taken away without a moments notice. Today marks the anniversary of a great tragedy in American history. We all remember it, we all know where we were and we all know what we were feeling when we heard the news. The events and emotions of that day and the days that followed will likely be with us all until the end of our lives.

Now, what were you doing on Sept 10, 2001?  Do you remember? Tougher question isn’t it?  Were you thinking “Wow, tomorrow’s a big day. Everything changes and the world will never be the same.”? Probably not. No one could have predicted what would happen the next day. Even so, what would you have done if you had seen it coming?

What if prophecy was common place and you read about it in a daily ”upcoming events” email and knew what was in store?  Imagine that for a second. Imagine that tomorrow there will be tragedy and your life will be completely different. The event is inevitable. It can’t be stopped or diminished or altered. The only thing you have the power to change is how you live today knowing that it’s coming. What would you do differently? How would you live today knowing that everything got turned on it’s ass tomorrow? Would you call someone you’ve been missing or avoiding or neglecting? Would you tell someone you secretly admire how you feel about them? Would anything you’re afraid of in your life matter at that moment?

Obviously we can’t predict when a life altering event may take place. We can never know when something will happen that changes our world forever. That handy little email will never come and we can never be fully prepared for change. Still, I want you to think about your day today. Did you do everything you wanted? Did you make that phone call? Did you share your feelings? How about this, did you give fear or doubt or uncertainty any real estate in your life today? Did you talk yourself out of anything you’ve been putting off?

What if the next big life altering event is happening tomorrow and you didn’t get the memo? Is it too late right now to do something about it? If you said yes then you’re not thinking big enough. Are you breathing? Are you still alive? Then do something because once change gets kicking you’ll be wishing you had.

Think of how many people will never get the chance to take action. How many people have already missed their chance to tell their family that they love them one more time, or to do the one thing that they’ve been dreading so that when everything changes they can say that it’s done. Think of all the people eight years ago who’s lives were cut short and who never saw it coming. There will never be another day like today ever again. There will never be another minute like the one that is passing right now.

If you wait one more moment to start living life with everything you’ve got that’s one moment closer you are to the time when you won’t be able to do anything about it.

If only you knew now what you’ll know then.