<video><title>An Uncommonly Fine Life - Chapter 4 - Stop Waiting</title><description>A book about principles for living a happy and fulfilled life</description><transcript><transcript><line from="00:00:00,000" to="00:00:07,120">Chapter 4. Stop waiting.</line><line from="00:00:07,120" to="00:00:11,200">How many people do you know that are waiting for something to happen? They're waiting for</line><line from="00:00:11,200" to="00:00:17,240">a new job, waiting for a promotion, waiting for a relationship, waiting for the kids to</line><line from="00:00:17,240" to="00:00:23,440">grow up, waiting for retirement, waiting for the next big thing. They're waiting for the</line><line from="00:00:23,440" to="00:00:31,240">weekend, for a vacation, for the next paycheck, for the next big sale, for the last episode</line><line from="00:00:31,240" to="00:00:37,360">of their favorite TV show, for the next concert, for the next big game, for the next big</line><line from="00:00:37,360" to="00:00:44,960">election, endlessly waiting. Never going, never doing, never taking any action. Waiting</line><line from="00:00:44,960" to="00:00:50,200">is the opposite of living. It's like living in a coma. It's like being in a trans. It's</line><line from="00:00:50,200" to="00:00:58,320">like being a zombie. It's like being dead. Why do we wait? What are we waiting for?</line><line from="00:00:58,320" to="00:01:03,440">Waiting is a way to avoid the present moment. It's a way to avoid being in the now. It's</line><line from="00:01:03,440" to="00:01:08,160">a way of avoiding the current moment because you don't want to deal with it. Waiting is</line><line from="00:01:08,160" to="00:01:13,880">a way of avoiding yourself. When you're waiting, you're not living. You're just existing.</line><line from="00:01:14,800" to="00:01:20,280">You're not being present in the now. You're not aware of your surroundings. Then you're</line><line from="00:01:20,280" to="00:01:25,800">not present with yourself. It's not just the presence of time that makes the present moment</line><line from="00:01:25,800" to="00:01:32,160">so special. It's also the absence of time that makes it so special. The present moment is</line><line from="00:01:32,160" to="00:01:38,080">the only moment that exists. It's the only moment you can truly be alive in the past</line><line from="00:01:38,120" to="00:01:44,720">is a memory. It's a memory that you can't change. The future is a dream. It's a dream you</line><line from="00:01:44,720" to="00:01:51,120">have to realize. The present moment is the only moment that exists. The present moment is all</line><line from="00:01:51,120" to="00:01:56,280">you have. If you're waiting for something to come into your life, you're missing out on</line><line from="00:01:56,280" to="00:02:03,120">the only moment that exists. The present moment. You're missing out on being alive. You're</line><line from="00:02:03,120" to="00:02:08,040">missing out on all the things you could be doing to change your life and the cousin here.</line><line from="00:02:08,040" to="00:02:13,800">Start living your life right now. Not later. Not when your life is more perfect. Not when</line><line from="00:02:13,800" to="00:02:19,720">you have more money. Those things may never come if you wait. So act. Sometimes in order to</line><line from="00:02:19,720" to="00:02:26,320">live this principle, you have to be willing to take some risks. To have some fun too.</line><line from="00:02:26,320" to="00:02:30,720">Pushing ourselves into new experiences is what exposes us to new possibilities, new opportunities,</line><line from="00:02:30,720" to="00:02:35,200">new jobs and new relationships. You also might find that you enjoy the process of taking</line><line from="00:02:35,200" to="00:02:41,120">risks. The only way to live is in the present moment. The past is a memory. It's a memory</line><line from="00:02:41,120" to="00:02:47,520">that you can't change. The future is a dream. It's a dream you have to realize. The present</line><line from="00:02:47,520" to="00:02:51,440">moment is the only moment that exists. The present moment is all you have.</line></transcript></transcript></video>