from Landon Saunders

What Are You Waiting For?


"I hate to tell you what it feels like to know I spent 20 years of my life waiting for something that was never there."



Those were the words of a retired Air Force Colonel. We were flying together on the same plane when he said: "I spent 20 years looking forward to the day I got out, the day I retired. But now that I'm out, it's not what I expected it to be. I hate to tell you what it feels like to know I spent 20 years of my life waiting for something that was never there."


I looked at him for a few moments. He was well-dressed, composed, had a comfortable lifestyle, had attained some success…and still he was feeling this real sense of emptiness. He had spent a lifetime waiting for something that wasn't there. Have you thought about what you're waiting for? Will it be there?


Don't you hate waiting? We head for the express lines in grocery stores. We walk away from restaurants when the lines are too long. At the movies, long lines make us nervous as we worry about having to sit on the front seat. We hate to wait.


And so, what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for your life to be happy? For someone to love you? Are you waiting for tomorrow? Are you waiting to live?


That's the greatest illusion of all 'cause life won't wait on you. It won't wait until you get it all figured out. You can't put it on hold. You can't even preserve one moment. It's here and now, with no power for postponement. If you're going to live, you better be about it. Don't wait on your dream house, your promotion, until the kids are through school. Don't spend your life waiting to feel good about yourself. Do it now!



Landon Saunders