Back It Up
Last week, I lost my iPhone. I lost the phone in my neighborhood. The iPhone fell out of my pocket and disappeared.
I noticed the phone was gone as soon as I entered my apartment.
The phone is still missing. I am on a mission to find it. That’s another story.
This story is a brief reminder to listen to Ben. Benjamin Franklin.
Supposedly, he said the following:
“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
― Benjamin Franklin
I had A LOT of photos on my phone. And I did not back them up. When I lost the phone, I lost the images.
Who cares?
I DO!
Those photos documented how I saw things over the last four months.
They reminded me of how I saw things at a specific moment.
There were photos of trees, the sea, a lollipop, and graffiti. There were photos of homes, alleyways, food, of boots.
There were photos of things that caught my eye, caught my attention, made me smile, and made me think.
Thinking…
What I did NOT think about was backing up my photos.
I kept telling myself: I’ll get to that tomorrow.
I kept putting it off.
Such a simple act. And I kept putting it off.
I’m not wallowing in the lost photos or the lost phone. Every action has a lesson. I’m choosing to pay attention to this lesson. I think it’s a big one.
Ben’s quote now serves as an important reminder. About taking action. About not waiting until tomorrow.
I am waking up to the importance of NOT putting things off.
I’ve come a long way over the last six years. I put off many things during the first three of those six years. For the previous three, I have been better, much better.
But I notice that I still put things off.
I’ll get to it tomorrow.
This isn't so much a story about maybe there won’t be a tomorrow. I get that life is precious, and I should enjoy it. Hello, my Adriatic Adventure. Hello, taking note of the ‘little things.’
But sometimes, I fail to action on specific tasks. I know why. That’s on me. But I still fail to action some pretty straightforward, easy, quick things.
The photo lesson serves as a reminder AND a kick in the ass. Action the thing today. Get the job done. Follow through.
Oh yeah, the follow-through. I’ve written about this before. Part of me seems to know it’s essential. Part of me still struggles with it.
Last weekend, I went on a hike. Below is a photo. Yes, this time, I backed up the images. It only took a minute.
Biokovo Mountain, Croatia
This time, I didn’t put off the simple task.
It seems I was able to follow through.
It’s the little things.
