Are You Doing the Right Thing?
Are you sure that you are doing the right thing?
What is the right thing? Whatever it is, are you sure you are supposed to be doing what you are doing right now? How did you get to this point, and not realize that you are working (or not working) on the right thing?
I struggle with this myself even as I sit here and write this blog. I believe I should be exercising, using fitness as a stress reducer, using it to remain healthy. Staying healthy so I can provide for my family. Watch my children grow old. Should that be the most important thing?
My problem is the pendulum swings too far and I either spend too much time pasted to the computer working or creating blogs or I spend too much time exercising, running down the miles. I rarely ever find that right balance which forces me to ask — am I doing the right thing, today?
Where is that list of things that you are supposed to be doing? Are you following those things on your list? Of the things that are on that list, have you identified a priority? Did you identify the ones that are the most important things to be working on? The one thing?
If you struggle with setting a priority, is there someone that you can ask to validate your list and help you consider the most important thing? You could even use that somebody to vet those ideas and challenge you to remain on task. Forced (or better yet — correct) discipline.
Try to find a way to measure your activities to ensure that you are doing the right thing. If you do not have someone that can mentor you, is it possible to set up an old video camera and record yourself throughout the day to review later? That way you can see what was distracting you from a third-person position.
We all waste time throughout the day, not doing the important stuff. Now is the opportunity for you to address those lost moments. Measure your own productivity by creating a shortened list of three items. Then set the priority for the most important thing (singular) on those three items. You will now measure the time that you have spent or the time that you are working on those priority items, which will help you become more proficient, productive and effective.
They say we should try to find balance. I do not believe that it is possible to have a true balance because sometimes the balance is false, due to the pressures of “the right thing.” There is always the right thing that you need to be doing at that time, which happens to be the right time.
If you were to ignore that right time to find your balance, you may not accomplish what you are intending to do. You may lose that window of opportunity, that once in a lifetime chance to hit it big! The challenge is that you may not know if it is the right thing at the right time. Sometimes luck just allows things to happen.
We know the right thing is to not be wasting time doing ineffectual work. We have to be effective. We are to be engaged. We have to get involved. And quite often we are to work hard. If we are sitting back and waiting for things to happen, we will never finish. We do not see our full potential. It is like dropping a boomerang at your feet. You did not put the energy into it — you did not throw it hard enough to let it fly. You need to put energy into the right thing in order for a return on investment to get that energy returned. A return on investment.
Create a goal that is in your line of sight and realize that it is where you want to be. In that effort, you need to identify the smaller steps, tasks, and pieces of the puzzle that allow you to reach that goal. Those are the right things. Those are the things you should be working on. Do not get distracted by the chrome squirrels!
Most of us know what the right thing is. You do not need me to tell you what it is. I am just reinforcing the discipline that already resides inside of you. The right things are not always the fun things. But the right thing is the right thing. Learn how to stay focused and have discipline and ensure that you continue to work on the right thing.
Go forth and be brilliant.
Comments
Post a Comment