In case you haven’t noticed, the first quarter of 2014 has come and gone. In fact, we’re almost one-third of the way through the second quarter. Based on that, you should be closing in on the halfway point of accomplishing your goals for the year. If you’re short of that mark, what will you do about getting caught up?
In order to analyze and answer the above query, you have to know what your goals are for 2014. If you don’t know what your goals are, then this might be a good time to identify and articulate where you want to be on December 31, 2014. If not now, then when? The only true way to get big things accomplished is to identify what you want to do and then start taking steps in the direction of accomplishing your goals.
One of the problems I have with doing everything I want to do is that I often have more goals than I do plans. I know the only real way to get things done is to break down what needs to be done into smaller pieces that are capable of being accomplished. Of course, it’s the actual doing that gets in the way. The day only provides so many hours for me to get things done. Oddly, the older I get, the faster the hours seems to go by, robbing me of my ability to do all that I want to get done.
Another thing that often seems to get in the way of accomplishment is fear of what might happen if we fail in the undertaking. Nobody likes to lose, and the perceived embarrassment of falling short on what we set out to do can often create paralysis in our lives. It seems much easier to plod along the path we’re comfortable with and avoid the pitfalls of trying. Nothing risked is nothing lost.
There’s nothing wrong with playing it safe in life. Being responsible and taking care of business is certainly a path that will minimize your exposure to negative results, but it certainly doesn’t guarantee that things won’t go bad. Sometimes, playing “not to lose” and the refusal to take risks is the quickest way to failure.
If you don’t push yourself to get ahead in life, you might find yourself so far back in the race you can never get caught up. I’m not talking about the race with the neighbors down the street, I’m talking about the race with the person you see when you look in the mirror. That’s the only race that means anything.
In sports, there’s no question that efficient use of the clock often makes the difference in the final score. This is also true in life. The problem with life’s clock is we don’t know how many periods we get to play. While life and sports are similar in that even when there’s time left, you never know when you’ll no longer be able to play. As they say, make hay while the sun is shining.
Take a break from eating your left over Easter candy and take stock of the year so far and plan for what you need to do to accomplish the goals you have set for yourself. Take a step forward and do something to get yourself moving in the right direction. Alternatively, you could do nothing and wander though life hoping you get to where you want to be. That seems to be a sure fire way to regret. That’s not good for anybody, especially those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville, Arkansas. His primary area of practice is criminal defense. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com