A few years back, the ex-recording artist, turned Pastor, turned recording artist again, Mase, had a record out called "If I Had 24 hours to live?"

During the song, he, and a couple of other rappers, stated what they would do if they had 24 hours to live.

For some reason, when I sat down to write this newsletter, I thought of that song, "If I Had 24 hours to live?"

What if you found out that you had 24 hours to live?

Think about it for a moment.

If you had 24 hours to live and knew for a fact that you would be leaving this earth, would you be happy with the life that you led?

Would you be able to say that you've made the most of your life?

Would you look back on your life and say, "I've lived the best life I could possibly live?"

Or would you think, "Wow, I have 24 hours to live and I haven't even started to live yet?"

Would you happy that you were meeting God so you can share with Him how you used the gifts and talents He gave to you, or would you feel ashamed because you never used your talents in any way to serve His people.

Or would you think, "I haven't done nearly the things that I know I am capable of doing. I haven't accomplished the things that I have always wished to accomplish."

My question to you is, "Why haven't you? What's stopping you?"

We always have excuses as to why we haven't accomplished the things that we have dreamed of accomplishing, or doing the things that we've hoped to do.

You've heard the stories of people on their death bed wishing they had spent more time with their families, or wishing they had spent less time complaining and more time living, or wishing they had accomplished more with their life.

Life is truly a gift. Yet, most of us treat it as if it's nothing. We don't give life a second thought until we are faced with the reality of death. For some reason, we feel that we have all the time in the world to get around to doing the things that we have thought of doing with our life, but before we know it, we look up and its over.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be one of those folks on my death bed, thinking back on the life I lived and regretting the fact that I never took control of my life and started living. I would hate to come to the realization that I never really LIVED but merely existed for so many years.

Most people simply drift through life, never taking control or even knowing or believing that they CAN take control of their life. They simply let left push them and pull them on through it until one day they wake up, on their death bed, knowing they have 24 hours to live and it is at THAT point they decide that they should have been more of this or did more of that.

I beg you--Don't be one of those people.

Life is like everything else.

If you want it to be successful, you have to PLAN your life. You have to make a decision about what you want to DO with your life. You have to see yourself doing the things that you want to do and you have to take action. Listen to that voice that is inside of you-your spirit- your direct link to God.

Learn how to control your life and make it go exactly as you wish it to go.

You can do it, you know. And the great part about it is you can start at any given second. All it takes is for you to make the decision. Then draw up a plan and take action.

If you learn to live EVERY day as if it were your last, you will see the urgency that life brings with it. You will feel the need to urgently accomplish things every single day.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24 Paul says, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

So when the day comes and you discover that you have 24 hours to live, you will simply smile and relax and be happy about the fact that you will be going home to meet God and tell him how you used the gifts he had given to you to serve others and in the process, served yourself. You won't regret having 24 hours to live; in fact, you will welcome it with open arms because you can't WAIT to share the things that you have accomplished with your life. You have run the race to get the prize.

ACTION POINT: Do you have a plan for your life? Do you have a burning desire to do, be or have something that will allow you to serve others and make your life more meaningful? Have you figured out your talents and gifts and a way to use them in your life? If not, then this is the assignment for you this week. DECIDE what you want to do with your life. Draw up a plan. Start with your outcome, your dream and work your way backwards on how to accomplish that dream. Ask God for assistant. He'll give it to you. Remember, ask and you shall receive. I even offer an ecourse called Ask and You Shall Receive. It's free and you can get it by sending a blank email to mailto:askandr-@sendfree.com.

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and coach. She has an amazing way of reaching you with her down-to-earth style and her ability to make the impossible seem possible. Sign up for her FREE weekly newsletter by sending a blank email to dawn@dawnfields.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Visit the web site at http://www.dawnfields.com. Be sure to tune into her weekly radio show Thursday nights at 9 p.m. at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm