The real heroes of the world did not wait for some special moment. Look at Mother Teresa.  She didn’t wait until she’d amassed enough funds, built a foundation, found the right board of directors to begin serving those in need. She simply began where she was. She responded to that moment of seeing a person in desperation. She responded to the urgent call of the now. She took action.

In Mother Teresa’s own words:

“I began. I picked up one person. Maybe if I didn’t pick up that one person I wouldn’t have picked up the others.  The whole work is only a drop in the ocean.  But if we don’t put the drop in, the ocean would be one drop less.  Same thing for you. Same thing for your family. Same thing in the church where you go. Just begin… One, one, one.”

People, and maybe this includes you, will find any excuse to wait. Sure, they plan to take action when their husband shows up. Or they retire. Or they get a raise or the kids grow old. Always waiting for that magical moment to appear before they can give their gift. But I’m saying that that moment is an illusion. Waiting is suffering. It’s the main reason, I believe, so many are depressed in the world. We can feel our gift inside rotting while so many go hungry. Yet, we’re so convinced that the big, drum-roll moment is coming that we don’t really live; we don’t really give.

What illusion is your mind telling you that needs to be different for you before it will allow you to give your gifts?

Real heroes give, live and love now. Loving now is when you no longer wait for a raise, but raise the level of your giving. Give way more than you’re required, adding outrageous value. Look for unique ways to serve those around you. Know that sometimes the payback won’t come from the source of your giving or whom you thought it would come from. But rest assured, when you give your gifts, that energy will always flow back to you.

Life sees everything. You can’t cheat life. And life won’t cheat you.

No matter who you are, exactly as your life is now, you have something valuable to give. We can all start giving our gifts now, without waiting until a time in the distant future when we have all the grand resources we think we need.

So:

Take your best dress out of the closet and wear it.
Take your best plate out of the cupboard and use it.
Take your best loving off the shelf and share it.
Take your mind out of control and lose it.

There is no “special” moment.
This is it.
There is no special person to give your gifts to.
Everyone is it.

When you realize that, everything becomes special, and the wait is over.

Today is the day to drop the “wait” in your life?
Go.
Go.
Go.