Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.

The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed.

On Sunday, November 20th I woke up with the intention of getting some things done around the house, many of which I’d put off for months.

I read the item, “Replace duct cap in yard’s northwest corner.” Then I heard, “Man, that will take forever and I want to play Just Dance 2 with my kid instead.”

I read the item, “Install hook and eye type ‘lock’ on pantry door.” Then I heard, “Man, that will take forever and I want to read instead.”

I read the item, “Prepare spring bulbs for winter storage.” And then, you guessed it, I heard the same over-exaggerated time to completion and what I’d rather be doing.

That’s when it hit me: I was putting off all these less-than-15 minute tasks because I perceived doing them right then and there would take up so much time I wouldn’t be able to do anything “fun” that day. When in reality not one of those repairs / maintenance would take me longer than 15 minutes (each) to complete.

Now, I thought I’d absorbed the idea of perception stunting focus and fueling procrastination back when I read Getting Things Done. But not until I actually caught myself in the act did I really get it. So I completed all six repair / maintenance items in under two hours. Not only that, I also completed the fall clean up / garden prep I’d wanted to do weeks earlier but kept putting off. You see, once I was in the act of doing, I didn’t want to stop. Forward motion and all that. Pretty cool, huh?

And wouldn’t you know it, that Monday, temps dropped and it rained. If I would’ve procrastinated on those items, even just one more day, the work would’ve been a lot more muddy (and cold!) and a lot less fun.

Here’s my two cents: When you find yourself reading (and re-reading) your “To Do” list, really tune into your self-talk. What do you hear? What reasons are there for not doing that thing right then? Are they factual reasons? Or simply made up excuses? Don’t let yourself off the hook either; dig into what you’re telling yourself, and why.

I’ve been doing this the last few weeks, and it’s working! Whenever I hear myself saying, “Ahh, I can do that tomorrow,” or “I need to do that,” I ask myself why I can’t do it right then. If the answer is a load of malarkey then I do the task straight away.

Obviously certain tasks and projects cannot be done the moment you think of them but many can, even if it’s just the first step. For example, “Get new tires” has been on my list since summer. But it wasn’t until I took the first step, “make calls for price quotes,” that I made progress. And on Saturday, December 10th I marked “Get new tires” off my list.

Remember, most things are not as complicated as we – our thoughts – make them out to be. If we can stop that Inner Drama Queen (or King) from blowing things out of proportion there will be a much higher tendency to do that thing today instead of tomorrow or next week or when we have more time to think about the “best” way.

Photo credit: Rphotos

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.

The principle first caught my attention while reading Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, and then again reading the Good Vibe blog. At first I thought, “Pfft! That’s easy.” Then I dug deeper and realized “doing nothing” meant no reading, no writing, no gardening. Whoa. “They” really mean nothing.

I’ll admit not writing down my thoughts and observations is going to be hardest of all. My kid will be joining me as well. We’re starting out small – one hour – and after that we’ll practice daily for 15-20 minutes. An interesting exercise in being present that I hope teaches us both something.

Photo credit: Aron Hsiao

Those who make the worst use of their time are
the first to complain of its shortness.

~ Jean de La Bruysre

The best place to succeed is where you are with what you have.

~ Charles Schwab

Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.

~ Winston Churchill