Walking from my couch to the kitchen, it hit me. I had just been watching Up, specifically, the scene when our protagonist finally musters his moxie and buys tickets for a trip to “Paradise Falls,” the dream destination he shared with the love of his life, Ellie. In the scene, just after he secures the arrangements, he takes Ellie to the place where they daydreamed together as young lovers, at the top of a hill. But Ellie is old and frail, and falls, is hospitalized, and dies. The details of her illness are irrelevant. The timing however, is not.

It hit me like a Mike Tyson uppercut. He waited too long. Procrastination, even for what seemed like perfectly acceptable reasons (you can watch the movie for details), cost him the priceless experience of realizing his long-held childhood dreams with the person he cared about most.

How many of us stagnate, accepting less than our dreams? It’s all too easy to get caught in a comfortable rhythm of life: doing our work, enjoying our families, achieving our goals. Goals are great, but all too often they aren’t the same as our dreams.

Just like Tyson, Up hits with a combination. Soon after the scene I’ve just described, our protagonist is faced with a decision to die gracefully or chase his dream anyway, without his dear Ellie. It wouldn’t be much of a movie if he chose the former. The lesson here is that regardless of your situation, it’s never too late to start chasing your dreams.

Stop. Take some time to assess your goals and your dreams. Make sure you’re happy with the path you’re on. If not, I hope you know what to do.