Don’t wait for tomorrow what you can do today

Have you heard or used Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today”? This is a useful food for thought particularly because we live in a fast-paced, high-tech world. I’ve recently said to an acquaintance, “If I were you, I’d do it now, as later can become never” — easier said than done.

Early this year, I went to our local city hall to query about voting for the French elections. They gave me the necessary form, which I intended to fill in within a few days. Unfortunately, it soon ended up at the bottom of my to-do list.

As a French citizen by marriage, all I had to do was submit the completed form and attach a document of residence in the municipality where I wanted to vote.

In the European Parliament election held on 6-9 June 2024, the far right defeated President Macron’s party, causing the latter to call a snap legislative election on June 30 and July 7. I had not yet submitted my voter’s registration form, so I was late to be allowed to vote.

While working for Australia’s Queensland Government, I participated in the writing of green and white papers; hence, I know that politics are not distant from our daily lives. Politics are everyday issues, from national budgets, taxes, the number and composition of migrant intake to changes in school syllabuses.

Politics are the things we need and want, the things we believe and like or otherwise, the things we know and don’t know, the things we fear or worry about, and the things we face or can happen to us. This write-up, however, is not about politics but the importance of pro-activeness and promptness.

If I had submitted the completed form and the required documents immediately, I would have been able to vote. It was a critical election with the left-wing alliance winning the most seats in the French Parliament, followed by Macron’s centrist Ensemble Alliance party, averting the National Rally (far-right) from a majority government. A country’s government contributes to making or breaking peace and democracy in our world.

With the Olympic Games still underway in Paris, I can’t help mentioning my admiration for all Olympians. Many of them begin training in their mid-teens; some even in childhood. They don’t wait for tomorrow…

How can we carry out tasks that we have been avoiding? Perhaps less thinking and more doing? Why not start with the least difficult part? What about being philosophical – i.e. It has to be done, so I might as well do it now?