Have you ever read a book, magazine, or article or have you ever watched a television movie and imagined yourself in the characters position? Have you ever wondered to yourself, what would you be doing if you had all the time in the world and if you had all the money that you could ever spend? Some people say that money and time is evil. Why would they say that? I disagree, money and time are not evil, it is the extreme importance in how we as people place in our lives that are evil. Think about it, if you spend all of your time doing one thing and neglecting your family, friends, and yourself, whose the bad person? It is not time, it is WHAT you are using your time to do. If you believe that money will buy you friends and pay your way out of troublesome situations, where is the evil? Folks, it is not the money, it is HOW you are using it.

I would like to ask you a question, "What would you be doing right now if you had a choice?" Would you be working at your current job for purely enjoyment? Would you be analyzing over software code, managing software and hardware projects, marketing software products, discussing company plans and policies for purely your enjoyment?

This is a serious consideration that I am bringing before you today. I am here to tell you, life goes by too quickly. People are always passing away and we are always saying why did not she or he do this or that? Life is too short to imagine yourself in anyone’s position or lifestyle. Life is too short to blame others or circumstances for what life brings.

Have you ever wanted to help others, become a nurse, become a missionary, volunteer on a daily basis? I wonder, look at Jimmy Carter, helping others. Look at my mother, teaching others. Have you ever wanted to teach whenever you could to classrooms full of children? Have you ever wanted to help the homeless, inspire young people and old people alike that they are IMPORTANT too? Have you ever just wanted to do something different but felt that you couldn’t because you had too much to do or you were restricted elsewhere?

Singers. I always wanted to be a singer. I wanted to sing like Mahalia Jackson, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...." What about you? Have you ever imagined yourself singing opera like Leontyne Price? "Give a helping hand..." Have you ever imagined yourself singing at an opening game the National Anthem? "Oh say can you see...." or like Aretha Franklin at the Grammy’s? Quit imagining, practice and SING!

I always imagined myself playing in front of a musical orchestra taking the lead in a great musical! What about you? Have you ever envisioned yourself playing a musical instrument, the saxophone or clarinet, like Kenny Gee? Man, can he play the sax!!! I say, quit visioning, take some music lessons, practice, and PLAY!!

I have always wanted to be like Les Brown, Alexis Herman, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, and many others. What about you? Have you ever saw yourself standing in front of a group of people giving a lecture, sermon, important talk, inspirational speech? I say, quit talking about one day doing it, DO IT. Join Toastmasters’ so that you can learn how and so that you can practice. Then do it!!

I even wonder sometimes, could I be like Whoopi Goldberg, SINBAD, or Eddie Murphy. I ask, what about you? Have you ever wanted to become a comedian and tell funny jokes to make others laugh? Have you ever wanted to become a clown to make laughter for everyone? Again, I say, learn, practice, and DO IT.

How often have we gone to school not for the enjoyment of learning, but for the enjoyment of the salary that we could receive for having a particular major or field of study? Listen, we have got to do the things that WE want to do, when we want to do them.

Ladies and gentlemen, life is too short and too dependent on the verbal words of others. In order to live life, it must be lived. In order to be satisfied with life, you must act out your wishes and your desires. Do not become disgruntled and say that you could have done this, you could have done that, you would have done this, you would have done that if only you had the chance!!!!!! Your chance is now in the preparation and planning that you take. Your time is now in every step that you make from here on out. YOUR opportunity to do what YOU want to do is each and everyday!

I challenge each and everyone of you to quit imagining, START doing. I challenge each and everyone one of you to quit dreaming and MOVE to action. I challenge each and everyone of you to look at other means to get MONEY and TIME out of the way.

Someone once told me that life is what you make it. I pondered to myself just how simple and how true that statement really is. LIFE is what you make it. There are obstacles that come, but such is life. Jump over them or move around them. IF everything were so easy, where would the challenge exist? NOTE - Practice is practice. Preparation is preparation. Before you are excellent, you have to be terrible. Before you are quasi-quasi, you have to be bad. Before you are pretty good, you have to be ok. Before you are dynamic, you have to be good. Practice is practice and preparation is preparation, but, it has to be done more than ONCE and it takes time!!!

I call each and everyone of YOU out there to action. Live your dreams. Live them NOW!