• Author: Unknown
• Editor: B-7413
• Newspaper: The Umpire volume V
• Page Number:
• Date: 2 20 1918
• Tags:
• advice

THE HABIT OF DEFERRING THINGS

There are many of us that have good impulses, which are good at the time of inception, but which lose their force if attended with delay. Too often we are inclined to put off the doing until tomorrow or some-other day, and finally they are lost sight of altogether, and with them the chance to do a good act that will never present itself again.

How many people fall into this error of delaying kindness—the expression of appreciation or of love, until it is too late, and the person who had been the object of our solicitation had passed on beyond our reach. Then they feel a sense of loss and try in some way to atone for the neglect in some unsatisfactory manner; but all to no purpose.

There can be no question that today s the day to say the kind word or to do the kind deed, to obey the good impulse that stirs your heart. Those whom you promised yourself you would help sometime need your heip now, and you can give it to better advantage now than at any future time. Sure it is that every tomorrow has, in addition to its own duties, those which were passed over through neglect, and its opportunities are in no way greater than those of the day before.

You have undoubtedly heard it said that “many a man defers his real happiness until He becomes rich.” Then much to his surprise he finds a defect in the ointment, and it is spoiled beyond remedy. It should have been used when fresh and first prepared for use. “Deferred happiness and deferred good deeds do not keep.”

It is making no mistake to say that there “is only one way to live; and that is to begin the day with a firm resolution to get all you can out of that day, to live it to the very best. It makes little difference what may happen or may not happen, what may come or otherwise; make up your mind that you will win the most possible out of that day. If you make a practice of keeping that thought in mind to start each day, it will not be long before the old habit of deferring things will drop away, and you will indeed be ‘‘master of your fate.”