Taking Stock in the Here and Now

Only when you come to terms with the here and now can you can begin to work on your future self.

Dreaming and planning for a better future is an admirable goal, and if you are living a life of personal accountability then you are well on your way to achieving it.

But while focusing on a destination will help you create a path to get there, having an end goal in sight does not matter unless you have a firm understanding of where you currently are.  To get to point B, you need to know where point A is.

Have you taken stock in the here and now of your life?

Two Questions: What are You Doing and Why are you Doing it?

The first steps to success begin with knowing what you're doing, and why you're doing it.

If you've every caught yourself wondering where the time went, or why it has taken long to complete a project (assuming, of course, that you've started a project), or why you've been putting off that dream of yours... did you know you can remedy this with a simple solution?

The way to stop losing track of time is to live with conscious awareness of what you are doing at each moment of the day and ensuring that there is a reason for doing it.

Keep Your Plans Where You Can See Them

When you see your plan in front of you, you are more likely to follow it.

What's your plan?  You know you have one.  And even if you've never formalized an actual life plan, you've kinda sorta had a rough idea of one.

Remember?  You shared the vision of this plan with Jimmy over drinks last night... you mapped out the details while in the shower this morning... you even saw yourself in action while stuck in traffic on your way to get to your day job...  Yep, you've got the whole plan all scripted out inside your head.

But that's a problem, isn't it...

Taking Action for a Desired Reaction

Are you taking positive action in your life?

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."  This statement, derived from Newton's third physical law of motion, poignantly describes the result that occurs when one body exerts a force that causes an action from something else nearby.  It basically says that if you take action (any type of action), something around you will change.

Think about that for a moment...

No One else shares Your Vision... and that's OK.

Do others really share the vision you have?  Do they need to?

You have a vision for your life.  You work diligently to guide yourself through a beautiful journey that brings you closer each day to a future destination.  You feel it so strongly that you look to others around you to confirm it, to appreciate it, to support it.

But have you asked yourself if others can really share that vision you have?  They probably don't. After all, they have their own lives to lead, not yours...

...and that's OK.

When is the Best Time to Get Started?

The conditions will never be absolute perfect, so why delay?  Get started now.

Have you figured out yet when is the best time get started on your new project/assignment/goal, etc?

Anyone looking to achieve the greatest possible outcome from a new venture will often look for a time when the stars align and everything is perfect to launch.  When should we roll out the new product line?...  When will the market recover so we can get the best price?...  When are those stocks going to bottom/peak so we can buy/sell?

Of, if not trying to actually choose a specific time, we may be simply waiting around until we have "enough" of whatever we feel is needed to get started...  "enough" money... "enough" time... "enough" information... "enough" courage... enough whatever.

Well, guess what?  The conditions are never perfect and there is never enough.

Reputation is in the Eye of the Beholder

Always remember, your reputation is held in their eyes.

Do you know what others are saying about you?  You should.  One's reputation is incredibly important, and while there are many things that you can and should do to forge a positive reputation, the cold hard fact is that it ultimate comes down to what others think.

Thus, your reputation is held in their eyes.

Stop all that Dreaming. Start Doing

Are you ready to stop dreaming and start doing?

It’s easy to become a habitual planner.  For years I prided myself on my elite organizational skills, my keen strategic planning, my penchant for detailed to-do lists.  And then one day I realized ten years had gone by and most of my great plans had yet to materialize.  That’s when it hit me…

I wasn’t really planning at all… I was just dreaming.  And worst, I was working very hard at disguising those dreams as “plans.”  Once I woke up to that fact, I realized I needed to stop dreaming, and start doing.

A Replacement Strategy for Winners

Don't just stop what you're doing, replace it with something better.

"Hey, doc, it hurts when I do this..."
"Well, son, DON'T do that!"

Funny joke, but incomplete when trying to apply it in life.  It is not sufficient nor beneficial to simply stop an undesired behavior (nor likely to be successful if it's a deeply entrenched habit)... you must replace your actions with something else that can fill the void. 

Time Passing by All the Time

Are your steps leading you in the right direction?

In the immortal words of Pink Floyd, most of us are just "ticking away the moments that make up a dull day... waiting for someone or something to show you the way."   Like the title of the song these lyrics appear in, the subject of time is something that is relevant to every living creature and thus something we must always be conscious of.

Your inner sage is calling out for you to realize that time is a precious gift and true worth is measured in how you utilize that  time.  It is the most valuable resource you have.  And while there are numerous methods...