Tomorrow Is Today

by Mario A. Campanaro

Tomorrow Is Today

by Mario A. Campanaro

How do you live your life versus how do you want to live your life? That’s an honest question. I want you to take a moment and really ponder it introspectively.

There are things we must do to survive in this world. First and foremost, we must take care of our health—without it, we have nothing. Then comes the obvious: we work to earn money, to keep a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, clean water to drink, and the ever-difficult pursuit of health insurance. All while maintaining our humanity—through love: family, partners, friends, and even our stranger neighbors. All while nurturing a clean, healthy planet and striving for peace among all humanity.

But within all that, have you sacrificed your passion—your art—just to live a comfortable life? Did you let go of the dream to make money? Do you go to sleep at night wondering "What if?" or "I wish I had...?" Do you feel like there’s something missing? Almost as if a piece of your heart remains unused. Or that there’s a hole—a quiet void within you—that nothing else seems to fill?

Despite all the responsibilities that come with being human, the artist must still find the time, energy, and courage to stoke the fire of their passion—to pursue what their soul was born to express.

It’s easy to say, "I can’t because...". It’s easy to give up because it’s hard—because there’s sweat, rejection, disappointment.

But when your passion outweighs your obstacles, you know you’re on the right path.

Listen—your next breath is not guaranteed. Waiting until later is an illusion, because later doesn’t exist. There is only now.

As Sheryl Lee Ralph recently said in her interview on The View, "Tomorrow is today."

The now is all you have. And no one is coming to do it for you. No magician. No one to make it happen. No one to fix what you feel is missing.

If you’ve ever wondered what it means to live a 'proper' life versus a true one, reflect on these lines from The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy:

"What do you want?" the voice said.

"What do I want? To live—to live."

"To live? How?" asked the voice.

"Why, to live as I lived before—well, pleasantly."

"As you lived before—well, pleasantly?" the voice said.

Then Ivan thought...

"Maybe I did not live as I ought to have lived," it suddenly occurred to him.

"But how could that be, when I did everything properly?"

It occurred to him that what had seemed impossible before—that he had not lived as he ought—might be true.

"But if that’s true," he said to himself, "if I’m leaving life with the awareness that I’ve lost it, that it’s impossible to fix it—what then?"

And suddenly something struck him in the chest and side, and he fell through the black hole. He drew in a breath, stopped in the middle of it, stretched out, and died.

Like Ivan Ilyich, too many realize too late that a 'proper' life is not the same as a living one. We confuse comfort with purpose. Routine with meaning. Approval with truth.

But for the actor-artist—the living—it doesn’t have to be this way. We can awaken now, do all that we must to survive in this world, and still pursue our passion. It is the inevitable path of the artist—not an exception, but the norm along this journey—and it requires compartmentalizing, multitasking, and conserving our energy for what truly matters to us.

But you have to start now by taking inspired action.

When fear kicks in, recognize it for what it is—a collection of old thought patterns trying to hold you hostage. Look that fear in the eye and claim authority over it. Declare that you are more powerful than it.

If you want this, then do it. I'll say it again so you can really hear it:

"Take inspired action now. Commit now. Invest now. Start today. Start here. Start now."

Excuses are just cinder blocks chaining you to stagnation. Give yourself the gift of pursuing your passion.

Don’t let go of your love for your art in exchange for well-crafted excuses. Take control of your life. Honor your talent. Use the gifts you’ve been given. Stop waiting for inspiration to always find you. Be the spark that ignites it within yourself. Create from within. Be your own inspiration.

You owe it to yourself.

Remember—tomorrow is not promised.

Tomorrow is today.