Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

But do you know his last words?

According to his daughter Katie, in the final lucid moments of his life, he uttered something I completely wouldn’t expect.

“SO MUCH WASTED TIME.”

Are You Wasting Time?
When I read the account of David Cassidy’s final words, I couldn’t shake it. Here was a famous man, adored by millions, worth millions (my assumption), and in his final moments, he expressed regret about wasting too much time.

So why would David Cassidy say he was wasting time? Think about all he accomplished. He made a career as a celebrity, but to my knowledge, he didn’t give much thought to being significant.

You see, a great chasm exists between celebrity and significance.

In my younger years, I wanted both. But as I “move closer to the front row,” as my dad likes to say, I’m more concerned with significance. Legacy.

If you’re like me, you don’t want to make a similar confession to David Cassidy’s.

That’s why I began investing myself into writing years ago, which eventually led me to start Illumify Media.

You Can Leave A Legacy with Words
Words are powerful. They define reality and, in fact, can create it, too.

Here’s my point: significance always trumps celebrity. All of us are hard-wired with the deep-felt desire to leave a legacy. Fortunately, the different ways we can leave a legacy are legion.

It begins with reaching out to the people around you. Sitting with them in their pain. Loving your neighbor. Feeding the poor. Mentoring a young person.

And I hope you do it.

When I became an accidental bestselling writer twenty-four years ago, I was pastoring a church of 200 in rural Iowa—and the first two books I ghostwrote could have filled a football stadium with people.

That’s when realized that I could impact hundreds, thousands, even millions of people through my writing.

That lit a fire inside me that burns to this day.

You see, books don’t just last a lifetime, they last FOREVER. Years after you’ve moved from the “front row” to the “stage,” people will still be reading your books. And who knows? Perhaps you’ll STILL be making a difference.

Don’t Be Like My Friend
A few years ago, a friend met me for lunch and told me his wife was encouraging him to publish his fiction novel.

“My wife thinks it could be a bestseller,” he confided.

“How far are you into it?” I asked.

“It’s all in my head. I just need to write it down.”

Please don’t be that man.

At some point, all of us face the decision of whether we’re going to leave a legacy or just talk about it. All too often we wait until it’s too late to do what’s important.

We’re thirty-five days into 2021. Please, I encourage you, don’t waste time. Once it has passed, you’ll never get it back.