Napoleon’s Story — Take one minute
Napoleon held that the fate of every battle was decided in the space of about five minutes. All the maneuvering and all the preparation led up to the strategic moment of crisis. If the leader had vision to take advantage of those few moments, the enemy’s rout would be complete; if, however, the leader allowed it to pass, defeat was certain. In one battle, his forces were halted before a bridge over a deep ravine. If the bridge was not crossed, the battle would be lost. Inasmuch as the bridge was swept by the fire of Austrian canons, Napoleon’s men were afraid to advance upon it. Then he snatched the flag from the standard bearer and rushed onto the bridge crying, “Forward to save your general!” The effect upon the soldiers was electric, and in five minutes the battle was decided.
What’s Your Story Like? — Take two minutes
Do you go all out to snatch a victory even when the odds seem to be greatly against you, or just stand at the far end of the bridge, too petrified to make advancements? What would you do if you knew you had five minutes to decide your own fate? Would you rather lay back and let fate come to you, or go meet it instead? What version of your story would you have the world hear: the one the force of events and circumstances suggest, or the version which you yourself deem fit? Do you just wait for something to happen, or do you make something happen? Do you really know when the opportunity calls, or you just wait for everything to be perfect?
Don’t you think it’s time you started doing what you had always wanted and living the life you had always dreamed of? Don’t you think it’s time things started changing for the better? I know you do. But nothing changes for you unless you first change
The Great Moment of Decision —Take one minute
The life of every person is not so much decided by the routine events of every day, but rather during two or three great moments of decision that happen in every life
As Shakespeare put it:
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries
If the opportunity is allowed to slip-by unimproved, what could have been a success turns into a regrettable failure. And recovery, most often than not, could prove difficult if not impossible.
People many a time play with opportunity as a toy, and when their eyes are opened to see its value, lo! It has vanished. Many reach the margin of a glorious destiny and then turn back to the desert.
Life can be changed in a single moment, not by hunting for excuses to evade the necessities that every moment presents nor by a reckless living which veils the eyes from the truth and numbs the reason against good judgement, but by responding to the inspirations that come both from within and without and acting upon time and opportunity as they present themselves, lest we face the deserts.
The Time is Now — Take one minute
I guess it has taken you roughly five minutes to read this. Now, if you just read through this intently, then it’s not just one of those stumble-upons. It’s another inspiration, another opportunity urging you to do what is necessary, to make the necessary changes, to act on the time you have which is now.
If you will act according to this prompting, the battle for your future may as well have been decided in this last five minutes — in your favour.
