“This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is very important
Because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever,
Leaving something in its place I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain…not loss.
Good…not evil.
Success…not failure.
In order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.”
–Dr. Heartsill Wilson

Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant carried this poem in his wallet and read it aloud every day.  Sometimes to his players, always to himself. He read it to the Birmingham Quarterback Club in 1981

If you are not a fan of college football, you may not know who Coach Bryant was.  He coached at Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A&M, but was most well known for his time at the University of Alabama.  It was there that he and his Crimson Tide football teams won six national championships in 25 years.

When he retired in 1982, Coach Bryant had the most wins of any Division I football coach:  323.

Full disclosure:  I am a graduate of the University of Alabama.  That may or may not flavor my opinion, but I want you to take a deep look at this poem.

This is the beginning of a new day.

What’s done is done.  You cannot change your yesterdays.  And tomorrow hasn’t arrived.  

But you have today.  You have a clean canvas to paint.

God has given me this day to use as I will.

You choose how you approach today.  Will you spend the day, or will you invest in this day?

I can waste it or use it for good.

Which choice gets you closer to your goal:  laying around wanting life to be better, or taking action to make your life better?

What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

Your legacy is simply the sum of the actions you take every day.  Make your actions count.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it.

“Someday” is not a day of the week.  But “someday” is when most people say they will start.  You aren’t promised tomorrow. All you know you have is today.  Make it special.

I want it to be gain…not loss.

Notice the poem didn’t say “my gain”.  Sometimes the best thing you can do is be a blessing for others.  

Good…not evil.

When you look for good things, you will find them.  If you search out bad stuff, you may find more than you wanted.

Here is advice I give my girls all the time:  “Tell the truth and you won’t have to remember the lies you told”.

Success…not failure.

Most people do everything they can to avoid failing.  But that limits the things you’ll attempt.

A better way to frame it comes from Dr. Khalid Azzam who said, “I don’t fail, I either succeed or learn.”  

In order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.

Your time is your most precious commodity.  You only have a certain amount.

I’ve always said that life would be easier if your birth certificate came with an expiration date.  It would make planning everything a whole lot simpler.

But you don’t know when you’ll draw your final breath.

So live today to its fullest.  Love your family. Enjoy your friends.  

And do the things that make you feel alive.