I used to be a junior high teacher. I remember attending a workshop where various experienced teachers shared their wisdom. One speaker was a chemistry teacher. I wish I could remember his name, but I can only remember his wild-eyed look and energy with his blonde hair whipping around as he talked.

This teacher talked about how he teaches his chemistry classes. He said he does all his best experiments at the start of the school year. An audience member asked him, “Don’t you want to sprinkle them throughout the year so that you can make them last?” I’ll never forget the response.

“Hell no! Front load that f#@%@#^!!!”

He expounded on this concise reply. He wanted kids to get excited about chemistry right away. He wanted them to see all the cool experiments up front so that they would be engaged from the beginning. He didn’t care about running out of tricks. He cared about having student engagement long enough so that they would care about the subject.

This philosophy applies to life in general. People who eat dessert first are a great example. Who says you have to wait until the end of the meal to have dessert? Some people have a sense of wanting to “save” experiences. 

You go on a week-long vacation and save the best part for the last day. What if the weather changes? What if you have to cut your vacation short? What if you get sick? There are so many things that could happen to derail your plans. 

Each day is a gift and the next day is not promised. When you wait to experience the best of what life has to offer, you assume that you will have the time. You assume you will have your health. You assume the opportunity that exists today will always exist. But you never know what will happen.

Stop waiting. Stop saving the good stuff for later. It’s time to front load it.