We live in an age of urgency where everything must be done right now. But is that really true? Does everything in life have the urgency we ascribe to it?

Do those emails have to be answered right now? Do those social media messages and notification need your attention right now? Does that solicitor on your doorstep really deserve your attention right now? Do those dishes and laundry have to be done right now?

Mark Twain said, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” Writing very rarely seems like the most urgent thing we must do, but it’s surely one of the most important. This day will never come around again, and you’ll never have the chance to write again today.

But those dishes, social media notifications, and so many other things can probably wait.

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In the push and pull of everyday life, each day pretty much seems the same. We go to work, spend time with our families, take care of bills and housework, watch some TV or movies, and rinse and repeat for the next day.

Today probably seems like every other day, but it’s not. Today is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This day will never come around again in the history of the universe. You only get one shot at it.

That’s important to remember when it comes to the time you dedicate to writing. You only get one chance to write today, so make it count. It’s so easy to channel Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind. She famously said, “I’ll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day.”

But tomorrow is not just another day. When tomorrow comes, it means today is an opportunity you can never get back. Everything you want as a writer is created in actual time on actual days. It’s not somewhere out there—instead, it’s right in front of you in the push and pull of your daily life.

Don’t let your writing time be gone with the wind.

Daily Question: Are you using today to its fullest writing potential?

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Think about the last time you went to the eye doctor. You probably thought you were seeing just fine until the exam. It turns out your vision was blurry and you didn’t even know it.

Our creativity works the same way. We get busy and distracted. We lose sight of the amazing world around us and forget to maintain a sense of wonder. Our hearts and minds get blurry.

Artist and author Joanne Miller said, “There’s something holy about seeing and listening more intentionally. God’s beauty is all around us in sight and sound, taste, touch, and smell. But unless we intentionally seek illumination we may just continue down the path of mediocrity, never experiencing the richness.”

There’s a lot of truth to the old phrase, “Stop and smell the roses.” When you pause long enough to see the beauty in the people, nature, and world around you, your pathway will be illuminated. You will see the light.

All the inspiration you seek, all the beauty you need, is right there in front of you. Will you open your eyes and pause long enough to see it?

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In the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, we meet Dorothy, a teenage girl who dreams of a life “somewhere over the rainbow.” She’s stuck in a drab, sepia-toned farm in Kansas and wants nothing more than to run away and experience a more exciting life.

But when she is swept away to Oz on a grand adventure, Dorothy finds that all she really wanted was to go back home.

As writers, we are constantly dreaming about what’s next. The next book. The next conference. The next interview. The next connection. The next source of income. The next five years.

Dreaming about the future is important. Living in the here and now is also important. Appreciate who you are and where you’ve come from. Say “thank you” to the people who are supporting you. Remember where you came from.

All you have is today, this moment, right here and now. Don’t keep your head so far in the clouds that you forget to keep your feet planted on the ground.

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