It was my first trip to Spain, and I'd been waiting for the train for over 30 minutes. Coming from Switzerland, where the trains are on time, I was in a frenzy. I had planned to visit Barcelona's museums and wanted to make the most of my stay. Now I was standing on the edge of a railway line, surrounded by shabby buildings.

Other people next to me seemed unaffected by the situation. Chatting to them, I learnt why ‘mañana’ is so often used here. I can sum it up as follows: be patient, you'll see tomorrow whether you'll do what you wanted to do today.

It was a completely disturbing concept for an anxious overachiever like me. Becoming passive and waiting patiently for things to happen gives me a feeling of guilt. It makes me restless and, if I feel stuck, it stresses me out, lowers my self-confidence and makes me irresponsible.

I recently came across a phrase attributed to Benjamin Franklin: ‘Most people die at 25, but we bury them at 75.’ It has a particular resonance with this theme. I understand that some people give up at 25, and the art of putting off until later what you could do straight away becomes an ingrained habit. Tomorrow' quickly becomes “the day after tomorrow”, and so on, creating a vicious circle of delay, accumulated stress and compensatory mindlessness to drown out deep-seated suffering.

Like Prince Charming kissing Sleeping Beauty, I'd like to wake up the young talents who take this path with a conscious and benevolent speech. Unfortunately, only a powerful slap in the face can redirect them. The sooner and the harder, the better. It's about applying firm compassion, with the same loving intention as when I corrected my children who had broken well clarified rules.

‘Just do it’, says Nike... Allow me to add: now!

PS: I've been asked why I've been publishing thoughts on instant gratification, hidden inheritance, discipline and freedom, dreams and reality, and procrastination and suffering. These are actually messages I'm sending to my son, like bottles in the sea...