If my vision loss has taught me anything, it’s that I always have to make use of every opportunity that comes my way.

Because, one: I never know what the future may hold, and two: I have no idea whether this opportunity that is in front of me right now will come my way again.

The society that we live in today always encourages us to be involved in some sort of activity – whether that is employment, domestic work or study, we always have a number of reasons to NOT follow our hearts moment to moment and seize every opportunity.

How many times have you sacrificed what may be an amazing experience based on the guilt of needing to attend to these endless tasks?

How often do you justify this in your own mind with the thought that you have “plenty of time” and you can always do it “later”?

As a blind man, my options suddenly and vastly became a lot more limited than the average person. What most sighted people don’t realize or what they take for granted is the capability that they have to just jump in the car and go wherever they please at a moment’s notice.

I don’t have that luxury.

And one of the hardest adjustments of my life was having to get used to a life that felt somewhat like an “appointment system.”

But, the silver lining and greatest gift that came out of this was that I learned to seize every single opportunity that came my way.

If there was an opening for a friend to pick me up and take me on an adventure, I took it. I didn’t care about the weather, or feel guilty about not attending to other tasks. I didn’t come up with an excuse to put it off until later. I said YES to every opportunity that was offered if it excited me. Because I didn’t have the luxury of believing that I had all the time in the world.

And it has been the greatest gift.

Not putting things off until tomorrow is exactly what has led me to travel the world and visit over 150 incredible cities, exploring and immersing myself in so many amazing cultures. It’s also what has had me publish novels, work with community organizations for 20 years, and even go on to be a mentor to university students.

And yet, other people are always shocked by this. I notice that people in the sighted world see this as impossible, or that I’m just “lucky.”

But what it really is, is my willingness to just DO IT!

While most other people are failing to seize the moment and are not saying yes to the opportunities that come their way (and for whatever reason, they live in their excuses, believing that tomorrow it will be different), I am simply saying “YES, LET’S DO IT!” to all of life.

Because I know first-hand, that the only moment we truly have is NOW.

About the Author

Prabath lives in Melbourne, Australia. He is a mentor, educator, author and social historian who is driven by his love of helping people. He was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when he was 13 years old, has never let that stop him. You can connect with Prabath on Facebook.