How long will you put off demanding excellence from yourself? … If you are not attentive now, if you do not feel a sense of urgency now, and if you keep putting things off, always deciding that you will focus on yourself tomorrow, you will make no progress–and not even know it. You will continue to live–and die–an ordinary person. So on with it! Demand that you live like a grown-up, like someone eager to improve. If something seems best to you, you should treat it like an unbreakable law. No matter what you face, be it painful or pleasant, esteemed or despised, keep in mind that the contest is now, that the Olympic Games are here now, and they cannot be put off any longer. Remember that progress stands on a razor’s edge, destroyed or preserved in one day, by a single action. How did Socrates become who he was? By never allowing himself to pay attention to anything but reason. Fine, you’re not Socrates. But you should live your life as if you want to be Socrates. — Epictetus