Let us be "up and doing"

An old nineteenth-century saying is put to good use in the present. During difficult times, when it seems as if things cannot get any worse, we should all strive to stay motivated, focused, and persistent. And we should always be “up and doing”.

This term was widely used in certain progressive circles to move people to act. It was particularly popular rhetoric in abolitionist meetings and in women’s rights movements during the mid-to-late 1800s.

The words “up and doing” fell from the notable lips of  Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

To me, “up and doing” means more than a progressive movement. It means simply living life and particularly living life to its fullest.

So when you feel unmotivated or depressed or you are just plain procrastinating, remember these wise words:

Let us then be up and doing; with a heart for any fate; still achieving, still pursuing; learn to labor and learn to wait. (Excerpt from A Psalm of Life, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1839)