Now or Never

   My generation and the one before it has been referred to in a certain way. We want it all, and we want it now. That much is true. I don’t deny that we can be selfish. We want instant gratification for our accomplishments, but life doesn’t always work that way. This isn’t me bashing on the way people think, though. I’m actually going to do the exact opposite. I applaud people who have high expectation and expect everything they deserve and even more. Maybe that sounds odd. People who know me wouldn’t think that I would like a selfish attitude or approve of people who are driven by the prize at the end of their accomplishments, but here’s the fact. We need more people who want instant change in this world. Don’t believe me? Let me show you.

   Over the last decade, we’ve seen the traditional family system fail more than it succeeds, watched as our government spent more money than we can fathom on a war that they were only going to abandon at the end, and seen our innovation that we used to be known for in this country reduced to nothing more than phones and video games. Our education system is slipping, and even our healthcare system has taken a step back in recent years. Things take time, but they get better. That’s what I heard ten years ago. The market would be like it was in the nineties again. We wouldn’t be at war for more than five years. Our leadership would improve. Social justice would prevail. Our schools would get the funding they needed for our students to succeed not just in a home market but in a world market. When do these things really happen, though?

   Do a husband and wife slowly decide to make their marriage work over a decade, or is there an initial decision to commit everything to each other that puts the pieces in place? Does an opportunity for a student take a decade to achieve, or should it come through redistribution of funds to invest in our own futures? Does that bill get passed over years, or can it be done in a quick and efficient manner? Can plans for a war be made in a strategic manner that actually works for our goals, or do we just have to wing it for over a decade and let whatever happens happen?

   Here’s my point. We do want it all, and we want it now. We want families that aren’t dysfunctional, a government who has our best interest at heart, and opportunities to learn more than our parents did. The decision to make someone your world, to do your job the way it should be done, or the commitment to making the nation’s future your number one priority don’t happen in a decade. They happen in one singular moment that is almost instantaneous. You make a decision to commit to something, and from there, change can take over. The whole thing doesn’t happen instantly, but there are always little hints that change is creeping its way into your reality when it becomes what defines you and the people around you. That’s my point in all of this. I want it all, and I want it now. I’m not about to stop wanting instant gratification when I do something good. I’m not going to stop expecting my government to do more, and I will never stop expecting myself to be better every single day of my life. You see, change is only driven by one thing, and that’s unrealistic expectations. In our struggle to achieve the impossible and gain more than we may even deserve, we fall short, but move so much further than others thought we ever could. Change starts with an unrealistic dream that’s a failure, but when we’re done, we see that we’ve accomplished more than should have been possible. Our marriages aren’t perfect, but they work. Our kids’ schools aren’t the perfect environment, but they’re learning in a safe environment without worry. Our government makes mistakes, but they come through on the large issues. We’re better. We didn’t get everything we thought we deserved, but our unrealistic expectations pushed us and the people around us to be better than anyone thought we could be.

   This is America, and we often feel entitled in this country. Many people view that as a bad thing. I say thank God. We are entitled to make a moral life with great spouses and to have great schools where our children can learn without worry. We’re entitled to a better government. After all, we pay our leaders’ salaries. Don’t we deserve better? Shouldn’t we be better? We want it all right now, so let’s get to work. If you want instant gratification, then make a decision with all of you right now to be better and expect more from everyone around you. You might not get everything you want, but it is that entitlement that will lead to more change than you can ever imagine.