The concept is actually very simple, in theory.  Acting upon truth immediately when you KNOW it’s truth is the answer to everything.  So there, I’ve fixed all the problems of the world, right?  We all know it.  We have those moments in our lives when the truth about something or a situation smacks us in the face and we have two choices – we either act upon the truth or we ignore it and keep the status quo.  And as simple as this sounds, research tell us that most of us do not act on truth.  And if we do not act upon it right away, chances are we won’t.

Most of us have been taught to take our time and think about things, to make sure that we have all of our ducks in a row before doing anything, but especially something major.  It’s logical, it’s safe, but most of all, it’s easy.  But real change, change brought about by reacting to truth is not all ways safe and it’s certainly not easy.  How many times has this great idea or inspiration hit you and you know in your gut that this is truth – that this is what you’re supposed to do or were meant to do?  And almost immediately you start making the pros and cons list in your head.  Mostly cons.  And then the moment passes, you sigh and think, well, it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway.

I think what is most ironic about all of this is that we live in a culture where we want everything NOW.  We expect things to happen instantaneously.  But if you think about it, in this culture, most of those things we want to happen right now are done for us by others or other things.  The computer needs to move faster or the food needs to come to our table faster.  And then we’re disappointed when the quality isn’t any better than it is. Nothing great in this world comes instantaneously.  Real change does not happen overnight. Great things take time but the decision to do them must come quickly.  It’s an oxymoron.  And this oxymoron is what I believe keeps us from pursuing those truths when they hit.

So, why can’t we just recreate that moment of truth?  Because apparently what happens is that we fall back into habits, despite how hard life may be, or how unsatisfied we might be with where we are in our lives or the situations we find ourselves in, for some reason it’s easier than acting upon the truth in the moment.  We have to wait until it hits again later, either the same truth or perhaps a slightly adjusted version.  And then we get the same choice – act upon it or start the cycle all over again.

I believe this is where regrets come in.  As a person gets older and believes that now they’re too old to act upon the truths, they begin reflecting on the other opportunities that popped up in their lives that they let go.  Why didn’t I take advantage of that opportunity?  Why didn’t I try that new activity?  Why didn’t I learn that new skill?  Perhaps it kept you from finding a new job, or going back to school or meeting a new person.  Life changing opportunities because we didn’t act when truth smacked us.

And here I am, writing about something that happens to me all the time.  Times in my life when dissatisfaction with the status quo causes a truth to pop up and I drift back into old habits because it’s easier.  Those times when I DID act upon them, I can document the massive changes that occurred because I did.  When I made the choice to go back to school at age 28.  When I chose to go to a new school when I was happy with the people at my old school.  When I ran for office in my professional organization a second time  even though I had lost the first time.

There have been times when I’ve acted upon things I was just sure about and the door closed.  And yes, there was disappointment, but later I usually find out why the door closed and it was really for the better.  But even in this instance, if I hadn’t tried to act upon it I would have then found myself in that position where I never would have known otherwise.  I would always wonder “what if?”  And sometimes, this door closing opens up another opportunity somewhere else that I can act upon.  Maybe all it took was someone else seeing you go for it to offer you something else.

As I write this, several truths have smacked me hard recently and although intellectually I know what I must do, there is fear and uncertainty involved here and I find myself seeking out old habits.  Can I act upon these truths before it’s too late or will I have to begin the cycle again?