Have you noticed the Christmas decorations have arrived in the shops? To me it signals the start of that “end of year” period, when we run around trying to finish the year off. It’s end of year functions, school awards, last deadlines, budgets for next year, strategy meetings, annual reviews etc. The “end of year” is when we feel that we don’t have enough time, we are constantly trying to find a moment here, or there. Squeezing it in, stealing time from others, rushing here, quickly doing…. My arm is constantly making that crooked movement to look at that face on my arm.
In reality there is still more than two months of the year left, but we run around in a frenzy not really accomplishing anything in that time because of the amount of time it will take to accomplish it.
I came across this quote today: “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of you doing it. The time will pass anyway, we may just as well put the passing time to the best use possible.” (Earl Nightingale, motivation speaker and author of “The Strangest Secret”)
All of us have that never-ending list of things at year end. We can divide them up into three lists:
- The things we would “want to” do,
- the things we “should do” that hang around at the back of our hear, and finally
- SHOUTING in our ear all the time is the urgent stuff we “have to” do.
We actually spend most of our time and our focus on the latter two and never get to the “Want to” list. Ever noticed that the “Have to” list eventually sucks out all the fun, the joy, the purpose out of life. A good friend admonished me to stop running after the things I have to do and spend more time doing the things I should do and want to do.
Today I am making something from that list happen!
But what? Do I really know what I would do? Jim Rohn a motivational speaker said: “You don’t have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next ninety days, let alone the next twelve month period or the next three years.”
Small or new changes in habits, disciplines or attitudes of the mind, now that is something to be “circumspect” about! Ninety days would take us to the end of January, a significant time in the year.
There is still time, what is there in your life, that if you started doing that one thing, once-off or regularly, that could significantly impact your experience of life in the next say ninety days?
Perhaps it is working on that one resolution you set at the beginning of the year; or going to gym; being more affectionate to your spouse; or a regular bible study. Perhaps you need to organise and plan yourself better; perhaps you need to take a holiday to get some rest; or do a course to equip yourself. It could be getting up a half hour earlier to give yourself more time; or not going to the shops and saving this December. It could be taking vitamins or medication; or making that phonecall. It could be not buying (you fill in the blank); or not watching TV on certain days. It could be cooking an extra meal/s for the freezer or someone else, or going to church or getting rid of clutter. It could be choosing to be more positive.
My challenge to you today is to identify what that one thing could be, and not to delay doing it because of the time it may take. Do it because it will so significantly impact your life in the next ninety days, do it an end the year well. The time will pass anyway!
If you enjoyed this post, also read:
Four Benefits of Being Circumspect
Three Changes to Make Before Change
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