Life Is Not a Dress Rehearsal
Why Wait?
How much of your life have you spent waiting? Maybe you have important goals, but you've convinced yourself they won't be possible until something else happens first. You won't return to school until you can attend full-time. You won't apply for the job you really want until you're sure you will be selected.
John Kotter said, "Most people don't lead their own lives--they accept their lives." They wait for things to happen to them.
Do It Now
If you treat your life like a dress rehearsal, you will miss the main show. Instead, try the powerful approach recommended by John C. Maxwell in his book "Today Matters". Make your decisions now and focus on them every day.
Which Decisions?
We all know life consists of decisions and we want to make the best decisions we can. Did you ever consider that it is not only about making good decisions? It is also about knowing which decisions are the most important.
As leaders, we naturally think about finances and values. But as John C. Maxwell reminds us, there are other areas of our life that are equally important.
The Daily Dozen
John calls these critical areas the Daily Dozen. Here they are:
- Attitude: Choose attitudes that lead to your success.
- Priorities: Identify and act on your priorities.
- Health: Choose to do what will help you remain healthy.
- Family: Nurture your family relationships.
- Thinking: Develop and apply deep thinking skills.
- Commitment: Keep your promises.
- Finances: Manage your finances.
- Faith: Deepen your spiritual path.
- Relationships: Build solid relationships.
- Generosity: Demonstrate generosity.
- Values: Practice good values.
- Growth: Seek opportunities to grow.
Act on Decisions Daily
The key to success is about more than making decisions related to these critical areas. You must act on those decisions every day.
Yes, it's that simple and also that challenging. We do not reach achievements suddenly. We reach them one day at a time.
Too often we assume success comes as a windfall. Our lives are not a lottery. They are not governed by chance. They are governed by how we spend our time and what we do.
Inspiring Stories
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen pitched the original "Chicken Soup for the Soul" to 130 different publishers. Jan Koum was passed over for a job at Facebook, but she did not let that stop her. She went on to develop and promote the What's App, which later sold to Facebook for 19 billion dollars.
As Tony Robbins said, "A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided."
Call to Action
This week stop long enough to think through your commitment to each of the twelve critical areas in this blog. You will already have considered many of these areas. Take special notes of the ones you had not focused on before and keep them in mind as you go forward.
The best is yet to come. It starts with you.
Your friends,
The UpCloseTeam
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