Forward Progress
I laugh inside every time I ask my children to do their chores. For hours they walk to and fro moving items around, shifting dirt and decorating rather than focusing on the task at hand.
I can recall one hilarious ocassion where my youngest daughter, the future fashion designer, spent an entire afternoon cleaning her room. When I came in to check on her, she had carefully hung Disney Channel posters, organized her vast finger nail polish collection and even moved her bed to a better location. I was really proud of the changes she made with exception for one. After all that activity and all the changes, she still failed to meet the ONLY objective - cleaning the room.
Cereal bowls, snack plates and juice boxes were spread throughout the room. The carpet needed serious attention and piles of clothes (clean mixed with dirty) filled every corner yet she was completely astonished to find that I was less than impressed with all of her hard work.
Today we are busier than ever before. Between work, family, personal and many uncategorized responsibilities, we can easily find ourselves running rampant without ever getting anywhere. Been there before? I have too.
If we could completely compartmentalize life, it would be simple to direct the appropriate attention to each little task before us but that's not always possible. We often cook dinner while balancing the check book, checking homework and trying to unwind from a whirlwind of activity at work.
For each goal you are trying to achieve, regardless of which aspect of life it covers, define milestones - a significant point in development - and due dates for completion. Just before wrapping up daily activity, take time out to review progress and see if work completed aligns with the larger plan. If it does, mark completed items off your list and congratulate yourself on a job well done for the day. If, for some reason, things don't quite line up, immediately resolve to adjust for the next time you focus on that goal.
If you plan to succeed, success becomes much more likely. Believe you are capable and set yourself up to excel!
I can recall one hilarious ocassion where my youngest daughter, the future fashion designer, spent an entire afternoon cleaning her room. When I came in to check on her, she had carefully hung Disney Channel posters, organized her vast finger nail polish collection and even moved her bed to a better location. I was really proud of the changes she made with exception for one. After all that activity and all the changes, she still failed to meet the ONLY objective - cleaning the room.
Cereal bowls, snack plates and juice boxes were spread throughout the room. The carpet needed serious attention and piles of clothes (clean mixed with dirty) filled every corner yet she was completely astonished to find that I was less than impressed with all of her hard work.
Today's Inspiration
Recognize that Progress = Action but Movement ≠ Equal Progress
Today we are busier than ever before. Between work, family, personal and many uncategorized responsibilities, we can easily find ourselves running rampant without ever getting anywhere. Been there before? I have too.
If we could completely compartmentalize life, it would be simple to direct the appropriate attention to each little task before us but that's not always possible. We often cook dinner while balancing the check book, checking homework and trying to unwind from a whirlwind of activity at work.
For each goal you are trying to achieve, regardless of which aspect of life it covers, define milestones - a significant point in development - and due dates for completion. Just before wrapping up daily activity, take time out to review progress and see if work completed aligns with the larger plan. If it does, mark completed items off your list and congratulate yourself on a job well done for the day. If, for some reason, things don't quite line up, immediately resolve to adjust for the next time you focus on that goal.
If you plan to succeed, success becomes much more likely. Believe you are capable and set yourself up to excel!
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