Today you are the winner in the ultimate lottery. No, this particular lottery I’m writing about won’t award you a 2012 shiny new luxury car or a round trip for two to Paris. But today you’ve won, and you definitely can go places with your prize.

“But what have I won?” you wonder.

Today you are the proud holder of 24 shiny new hours, or 1,440 marvelous minutes, or 86,400 sparkling seconds.

That’s all. That’s the maximum allowable time you’ve been given today. No one will be granted any more than that, and unfortunately, some will have less.

So what will you do today with the time you’ve been given?

• Will you build up or tear down?
• Will you move toward your dreams, or away from them?
• Will you move toward better health?
• Will you say, “I’m sorry!” and mean it?
• Will you tell someone very special to you, “I love you”?
• Today, will you make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you?

Today. Think about it: we all are prone to lament, “I don’t have enough time!” but in reality, we have just as much time as anyone else. No more and no less.

Today, we’ve each received as much time as is possible to receive. So what will you do today to improve yourself and to make a difference at work and in your life?

Today, make each precious moment count for something. Jump from thinking you don’t have the time and instead, become grateful and mindful that you do. Leap the gap between mediocrity and excellence… and do it with flair!

Nancy Fraze is a member of Office Dynamic’s Media Team and a frequent contributor to the OD blog; she also blogs about film at allbestfilms.wordpress.com. She is Poet Laureate Emeritus for the Town of Danville. Nancy runs a creative writing and editing business, “Phrase, Ink” and published her first poetry book, “Paper Wait” in 2008.