Say It Now!

Do not say to your neighbor,
"Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" —
when you now have it with you.
Prov 3:28

Ever notice that it's the people we love most that we take most for granted? Odd, isn't it? It's easy to spend less time with your family because they will always be there for you (or so we assume). But what if you had only thirty days to live or they had only thirty days to live? It is easy to put off expressing your love to your loved ones because there seem to be no urgency to do so. It is easy to let home relationships to slip because you assume there are more pressing things to deal with.

But what could possibly be more important than your family? What is the point of being super successful, but with no one to love? What's the point of managing so many public responsibilities so efficiently when you have no respect at home?

So pick up the phone today and tell your aged parents you care enough to call just to chat. Before you leave for work, give your spouse a hug - like you mean it. And please hug your kids and tell them they are precious. Your kids will only be young once. And when the window of opportunity closes, you would have lost it for good.

Don't procrastinate doing the loving thing because it will accumulate into a life of many regrets. Don't say you would do it some time soon. Today is the day. Now is the moment. Say it now! Show it now! Share it now!

Yesterday morning, one of my staff walked into my room with a nicely packaged circular ratten tray of Chinese New Year goodies. What touched me (and later my wife when I shared it with her) was that this staff didn't just hand me a tray of goodies. She told me why she was giving me and my wife this tray. She took the trouble to explain why she chose a circular tray; why sweets in the tray, why tie the tray with a red ribbon; what it all meant as she considered blessing us in our marriage relationship. And with every word, unknown to herself, she was blessing us deeply. It created such an impression on me that when I got home to my wife, I was able to explain the significance behind that small gift word for word!

There is so much power in saying it now. Here is the truth: Giving praise to others, when they really deserve it, makes you great. It elevates you. It makes you look like a hero. That is what turns a good life to a great life; a no-regrets life.