Your big idea is waiting on you. You might have the greatest idea the world will ever see, but if you do not act on it, what good is it? You might have a vision—a dream— that could change the world, but if you are not willing to share it with the rest of us, it will surely dry up like a raisin in the sun. You must be willing to take action.
In the early 1950s, Samuel Beckett penned an absurdist play titled Waiting for Godot. The plot (if it can be named as such) focuses on two tramps, Estragon and Vladimir, who are blessed to have a purpose in life, and that purpose is to – Wait for Godot. However, until Godot shows, the two spend their time in meaningless activities, anything to fill their time. As Act One concludes, a boy arrives and says the Godot will not be coming today, but surely tomorrow. Estragon then asks Vladimir, “Well, shall we go?” Vladimir says, “Yes, let’s go.” But the stage directions read, “They do not move.”
Act Two is filled with more of the same: nonsense to fill the time, boy arrives again and says again that Godot will not be coming today, but will surely come tomorrow. The two tramps look at each other. Vladimir asks, “Well? Shall we go?” and Estragon says, “Yes, let’s go.” And once again, the stage directions read, “They do not move.”
If there was a third act (which there is not) or a thirtieth or a three hundredth, the assumption is that these two tramps will still be stuck, not moving, not changing, not taking any action.
The biggest lesson I take away from these moments is this: If you do nothing, nothing will change. If you want change, it is up to you to make sure it happens. You must initiate the action-—any action: whether it’s a giant leap or the combination of a lot of tiny steps. You cannot patiently wait for Godot to arrive to make everything better. But Estragon and Vladimir don’t see that. So, they wait and wait and their circumstances never change. Action is the only way to move anywhere, and hopefully forward.
I believe that these current times demand that we take action. That can happen in many ways: staying isolated at home, wearing masks when we are out in public, social distancing at the grocery store, helping at food pantries, or supporting our neighbors and essential workers. This is not a time to follow the directions that reads: “They do not move.” ACT!
