326
Today you have an opportunity to look at those nasty little habits that tend to suck your time, energy, and intelligence. Any initial thoughts on what those might be? Make a list of the activities you take part in that probably send you on a detour away from your success.
This is not a case for cutting all of the fun out of your life. In order to achieve success you do not have to be constantly working. Time for rest and relaxation is just as important as the time you spend actively building your achievements. However, there is a thin line between relaxation and procrastination. It’s important to choose your downtime activities wisely so that they don’t suck the life out of your dreams.
One big time-sucker is television. It’s great for a diversion, but it can put you in a trance if you’re not careful. Another black hole is the Internet. Again, it’s a useful tool in some respects but a complete waste of time if you cross the line to listlessly surfing the net. Technology is a powerful part of our society. On the other hand, it is easy to become a zombie when you’re clicking through 200 channel options on TV or sifting through over two million responses to a Google search on “things to do when you’re bored.”
Your assignment today is to find fun things to do that don’t sap your talent and energy. What might spark your creativity instead of sucking it out of you?
327
George couldn’t concentrate. He sat at his desk staring at a pile of work that got bigger and bigger as the days and weeks went on, but he couldn’t bring himself to dive in and take care of business. He wasn’t sure when it started—and he was in a panic about when it would end—but there was a tape in his mind replaying the missed opportunities of his life over and over again. George felt useless and hopeless. Why even bother? If only things had been different.
Have you ever felt like George? It can be extremely difficult to shake yourself free of that kind of despair. Do you want a minute? Okay, time’s up. Now get back to work!
Sitting around and wishing that things would be different serves absolutely no useful purpose. It’s a waste of your time. Stop it. It really doesn’t matter how you “feel” at this particular moment.
If you want things to change, you have to actually do something. Try a new workout at the gym, work late and get ahead a little, or do something nice for someone else without expecting anything in return to snap out of your rut. If what you are doing right now is not working, and you aren’t finding the success you dreamed about, then do something else! If you’re anything like George, it certainly can’t get worse. Pursue a new strategy. You are only stuck if you want to be. You have two choices: continue to play the “poor me” tape, or change. What will it be?
328
Have you ever watched children pick out a special item at the store? Jonelle recently took her daughter to redeem a gift card at a local toy store, and a ten-minute errand turned into a very detailed assessment of possibilities that took no less than forty-five minutes. Jonelle was a bit impatient as she watched her daughter survey every toy and take her time to come to the best possible decision, but she actually could have learned something from the little girl. Her daughter had a valuable gift, and she wanted to spend it wisely.
Do you spend your time with the same kind of care? Most people do not. Very often, time is given little value. It is wasted on meaningless activities and given away to people who are undeserving. The tragedy about that is you can’t get time back. You lose a little every second.
Your assignment today is to answer a few questions:
1. Are you in control of your time?
2. Do you spend your time wisely?
3. Who or what gets the majority of your time?
After you have had a chance to answer those questions, think of time as a precious and fleeting commodity. Is there anything you want to change about how you spend it?
