One of the most crucial prerequisites for forming a life philosophy is knowing yourself, your weaknesses as well as your strengths. A real-world philosophy recognizes that in order to take full responsibility for yourself, you’ll probably need some help from others.
You may know the area where you can get by with little or no assistance, but what about those areas where help is truly needed? You can discover these areas by simply analyzing your habits.
If, for example, you’re not good at keeping records, get someone to do it for you. If you have promised yourself that you are going to keep records or balance your checkbook, and you haven’t done it for a few years, it looks like you aren’t that kind of person… nor are you likely to become that kind of person. You may say, “No, I’m really going to do it this time,” but I (Jim Rohn) would suggest that a few years is long enough. Don’t promise yourself any more. Just say, “Maybe the smart thing to do is to get someone to do this for me.” You would be surprised at how effective you could become in many areas if you would just make the arrangements to get help when you need it.
Some years ago, my office came to the conclusion that I was a poor courier. It used to be that if I was going someplace, say to San Francisco, someone would ask me to deliver a check while I was there. I would say, “Sure. No problem,” put the check in my pocket, and fly off to San Francisco. Guess when I would next hear about the check? When my dry cleaners found it! The next time, my office would say, “This document has to go to San Jose. Will you be sure to give it to them this time?” I’d say, “Of course. You can count on me this time. I’m not flaky.” So I’d put the document in my briefcase and head off for San Jose. Guess what… it would still be in my briefcase when I got back to the office the following week. So there is a saying now in my office: “Don’t give the chairman anything. He’s good at some things, but he’s a poor courier. Make other arrangements.”
And that is my point. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you just aren’t going to do certain things as long as you are clever enough to make the arrangements to have them done. I would call that a real-world philosophy. It’s much better than continually promising that you will do something when the chances are good that you won’t.
* Source: Leading an Inspired Life by Jim Rohn