Maybe you have bought all the books on time management and organization. You may have even purchased and read some of the books we offer here at Succeeding In Business. Despite that, and numerous New Year's resolutions, you still feel that you are leaving lots of potential on the table. (That, and maybe your desk is a huge mess.)
Why is that?
The answer is not another book, not another class, and not anything you are likely to read in this, or any other, newsletter.
In my observation, the answer is...
Sorry. I have to tell you a story first.
There is this concept that I call, "at risk and at stake." (When I am at risk, I have a mindset that is driven by the fear of loss [status, money, security, friendship, etc.]. When I am "at stake," I am far more focused on what's good and what's possible.) When I'm at risk, nothing seems to help. When I'm at stake, nothing seems to hurt.
When I was eight years old, I lived in a logging town on the Oregon coast called Myrtle Point. There were about 2,000 people there in 1965, and I think there might be about 2,500 there today.
At eight, my parents let me have a paper route, delivering The Oregonian newspaper. I got up every morning at 5, and walked my route. I delivered 120 newspapers every day. Often, the stack of papers weighed more than I did.
Being on the Oregon Coast, it rained. It rained as much as 70 inches a year, if I recall correctly. Each morning I got my fanny out of a nice warm bed and delivered papers in the rain, before I went off to school. I loved every minute of it.
Why?
Two reasons: My mom did not believe in candy, and my folks could afford only a few small toys at Christmas and on birthdays.
I was an "at stake" eight-year old little boy. Each day I stopped by the diner on my way home and bought a candy bar (5-10 cents in 1965), and secretly ate it as I rode my bike home from the paper route. At the end of each month I got $20 dollars for my months work, and I could buy Match Box cars and other toys that otherwise were completely out of reach, financially. I gave some to my brother and friends, and kept some for myself.
Match Box cars and illicit candy bars were the light in my eyes that, at eight years of age, got me out of a warm bed and got me moving seven days a week. I was at stake.
All the books, workshops and other tools in the world will not help you be more efficient and effective if you don't have a dream, a goal, or a purpose for what you do that excites and invigorates you.
In my observation, having no dream is the single, biggest problem most people have. With no dream, they are at the mercy of the next line of nonsense, the next ad on TV, the next wind that blows.
As we say in the coaching business, "You can't coach into no demand."
If you can find something that floats your boat, excites you, gets air under your wings, or whatever description that seems to work for you, have something to work with.
Then you can get somewhere. You may not need any books or workshops. A powerful dream often magically organizes your thoughts and actions. Without the dream, you couldn't get anything done. With the dream, it seems that there is nothing you can't get done.
My recommendation for today is simple:
Take a day off and find a quiet place alone, where you can set your mind free to dream. You might have to do this more than once. Figure out three things that really light you up. Get help to do this if you stall out. This is your life, and NOTHING is more important.
This may take a while. Most people may need to work at this a bit before the ideas start to flow. Most people have quit dreaming and have started dying long before the funeral.
Write the dream down, find pictures that represent it, and put them up where you can see them, both at home and at work.
Map out three action steps you can take towards realizing that dream, every week. These are the three most important things to do next. Write them down. Always have three of them in front of you.
Now, make everything else in your life fit into that dream.
If you are at all like me, I project you will suddenly see everything you need to do with new eyes; new clarity. You will be able to act in ways that will bring you to your goals, and all those things you "have to do."
Now you are ready to make use of those books, workshops and so on.
If you have a dream and you want some extra help, I am going to suggest what I think are, by far, the two best sources of thinking on the subject. They are:
The world-famous Mark Joyner
The equally-famous David Allen
I suggest you need to look no further. I have no business or personal relationship with either of these folks. This is simply the best stuff I have ever seen, used, and recommended.
The stuff we have on Succedinginbusiness.com is outstanding, too. (Actually, world-class, I am told.) It offers great supplements to the sources I mentioned above. If you use this stuff, it works!
That material is:
Making More While Working Less
Beating The Clock
Taking Control of Your Day
Setting and Achieving Your Goals
Some of you, who know me personally, have figured out that I am determined to help people get out of their own way so they can achieve their dreams and goals. I am doing this not just so people have financial freedom.
I am convinced that people who can achieve their dreams, make a great income, and be happy, are people who have something to give back to those around them.
When you feel that your security is "at risk," you don't have much to give others, and you're often not all that much fun to be around, either.
When you are "at stake," you have much to give. You have optimism, energy, confidence, joy, and a sense of well-being, because you know that all it takes to be successful is to be on your way to a dream worth having.
Get the dream down on paper, and you're already more successful than 90 percent of the rest of the world. Take action regularly, and you are in the top 10 percent. At least in my book.
Add love to the mix, and the world will be at your doorstep.
Oh, by the way, the answer to the question at the beginning of this article is, simply: to have a dream of how you can make the biggest possible contribution to those you love in this world. Find that, and everything else will fall into place... including time management.
Time management is automatic and relatively easy when powered by a dream. Without a powerful dream, time management is dreary and almost impossible... at least for me.
To your dreams,
Eric Albertson
Portland OR
June 18, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
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