Photo: D. Paul Graham, “Proof that Humpty didn’t fall”, South Beach Alley, Miami 2021

“Monday 5 Things”™ ….. Taken …..

“The next part is very important. They’re going to take you.” A tense moment at the beginning of the movie “Taken” as Liam Neeson’s character, Bryan Mills, tells his daughter what is going to happen just before she was taken by kidnappers. All the more fun watching the movie in French in my hotel room in Montreal.  The movie did spark some thoughts and fixation for me on the word taken.  As such, while chasing fast cars around the track with my fast glass, sitting in the rain, enjoying some real poutine, and flying back to welcomed humidity here in the south, this morning’s M5T considers and questions things that we can take in our lives.

1. Take the time

Be committed to take time to figure out your purpose, your ‘so that’, your raison d’être, your where-for, and your what-for. Then take time to live those without apology, compromise, or holding back. Take time to explore new interests and to create, just to create. Take time to build your energy, your mental strength, and to heal your wounds. “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” ~ Leo Tolstoy. The time is here every day. Will you have the patience to take it?

2. Take the risk

Make the scary decision. Take a chance by speaking up for what you believe to be true. Take risks to avoid regrets, for a chance to change, for new possibilities, for growth, for opportunity, and for success. Your dreams are worth the risk. “Enormous wins come at the risk of colossal failure” ~ Sir Winston Churchill. What risk will you take today?

3. Take back what’s yours

Refuse to live a life that others expect. Take back your lost dreams. Reject limits. Trust that you’ll find a way to make it work. Life is too short to be miserable at your own expense. “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken” ~ Oscar Wilde. What will you take back today?

4. Take the ups and down

Dare to laugh at the heights. Dare to cry in the valleys. Repeat as needed. The adage that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Most things are never as good as they may appear and never as bad as you think. In success, commemorate the climb, savor those summit moments, but always be gracious and humble in victory. In failure, recognize the reality, narrow the negative, persist with the positive, listen to the lessons learned, and focus on the fix. “If there is a difference between success and failure, it’s the moment you don’t give up and the moment you do” ~ unknown. What will you refuse to give up on today?

5. Take Your Day

Find your voice. Use it. Ask yourself how far you can push yourself in these 24 hours. Dare yourself to go there. Then push. Hard. Control yourself, not others. “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~ Marcus Aurelius. What will you make of your day today?

Here’s to a week of being taken in all that you do.

© 2023 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

For over 11 years, D. Paul Graham has published “Monday 5 Things” ™, also known to readers as M5T.

You can reach Paul by email at dpg@imagegraham.com