The quote is from Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher. The concept is as powerful now as when he said it nearly 1900 years ago. His advice has withstood the test of time.

I’ve noticed that when you take care of the moments, the moments take care of your life.

So simple to understand yet so challenging to accomplish.

My moments are often roughed up by distractions, battered by criticism and diminished by worry.  They lose value through inattention and carelessness.

There are times I understand I’m not taking care of the moments but find it almost impossible to redirect my attention. Life is full of things that easily shift our attention to doing anything but care taking the moments.

It is about focus. Rational focus. Not an obsessive or panicked attention, but a thoughtful awareness of how we are spending the moments of each day.

The best assurance for a day (or life) well spent is to caretake the moments.

My long time friend Herb Mitchell sent this to me and I wanted to share with you:

“Mark, you are probably too young to associate with the name Erma Bombeck (Mark’s note: I do indeed remember Erma). Erma was a American Humorist in the 1970s who wrote 15 top selling books. I had an opportunity to work with Erma when I was editing a magazine. Recently I read this quote from Erma’s famous quotes.

‘When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’

Erma died in 1996.”

Today I’m handling some problems I didn’t create and one or two I did. I found out a former vendor I should have fired long before I did has blocked my email and refuses to answer questions. A contact at one client has left the company and left the outstanding invoice due me unpaid.

There is much I could rant about today. Or any day for that matter.

Same for you?

Of course rants don’t help much. They provide a way to blow off a little steam, but they are mostly better done in privacy, not on the web.

Oh sure, a few rants tap into our global psyche and are worth doing for the sake of dialogue (which too often becomes the same criticism and name calling we’re used to offline).

The alternative to the ever popular rant? Deal with it. Do what you can and forget about what you can’t.

Simple to say but tough to do. Like most things in life.

No more time for a rant. I’ve got work to do.

Pity the man or woman who looks but does not see; who hears but does not understand; who speaks but is not understood; who accepts but does not embrace; who decides but does not commit; who experiences but does not enjoy; who changes but does not improve; who marries but does not cherish; who takes but does not give; who likes but does not love.