You know the importance of applying discipline and effort to overcoming any obstacles that stand in your way. But some problems call for more than steely determination–they require you to step back and apply some mental power. If you’re faced with a roadblock like this, put it all down on paper. When you write a problem down on paper, you take the emotion out of it. With the emotion gone, you can look at the roadblock objectively. You can figure out what you did right. You can figure out what you did wrong. You can figure out how to change it.
Here’s what you do: pick a problem out of your head and pull out a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle of the paper. On the left-hand side, jot down the problem in detail.
Enjoying true business success requires you to set careful priorities. Sometimes priorities are determined by the season. For a farmer, the season dictates his most important activities. During the spring, a farmer must work around the clock, burn the midnight oil, and keep the equipment running because he only has this small window of time for the planting of his crops.
One of the difficulties of living in an industrialized society is the loss of the sense of seasons–when to pour it on, when to ease back, when to take advantage. It’s easy to keep going from nine to five, year in and year out, and lose a natural sense of priorities and appropriate time. Don’t let one year just blend into the next. Keep an eye on your own seasons lest you lose track of values and substance.
Many years ago, I (Jim Rohn) used to say, “I’ve got to get my family to the beach. I’ve been promising to take them to the beach. What are they going to think if I don’t take them?” Guess where I was while thinking about the beach–at the office.
I finally get my family to the beach, but at the beach I’m saying, “I should be at the office. Here I am at the beach when I have so much to do. I should cut all this short and get to the office.” I’ve messed up my beach time with the family by thinking about the office.
So I learned this lesson: make a playday a playday and workday a workday. Don’t mix the two. Sure enough, if you say, “I’m going to take off at three o’clock and go play,” guess what you are thinking about all morning–taking off to go play! Don’t play at work, and don’t work at play. It’s a great rule to follow to ensure that your time is used more effectively. All of this has to be modified to fit your particular situation. No one rule will apply to all situations. But keep this main thought in mind, and separate work and play.
Focused concentration is a cornerstone for achievement in business and in all areas of life.
You’ve just got to zero in. You’ve got to identify your target and let nothing stand in your way. You’ve got to keep your eye on the target until you’ve released the arrow. Let nothing divert your attention, unless it’s in the best interest of your ambition. Let not an obstacle come before you without getting around it. Whether you go over it or go under it, try a different path until you prevail.
Let me (Jim Rohn) give you some more thoughts on time management. Here is a list of things you should consider.
Number one: run the day, or it will run you. Part of the key to time management is just staying in charge. Here’s what usually happens: we start something and we’re in control, but as the day starts to unfold, we start losing it. It’s like running a business. If you don’t stay on top of things, the business will run you before long. You have to stop every once in a while and say, “Wait! Who’s in charge here?”
Here’s a good phrase to remember: “Some will master and some will serve.” That’s the nature of life, and you have to make sure you become the master. You have to run the day. You have to stay in charge.
There’s a connection between appreciating yourself, and appreciating and respecting time. People who appreciate themselves understand and respect the use of time. Here’s what I (Jim Rohn) call the best-kept secret of the rich. It’s an interesting discovery that I made one day. I couldn’t believe it when I found out that rich people have about twenty-for hours a day. And poor people have about twenty-four hours a day. Imagine that!
The difference between them is in the management of the time. Practicing a few simple disciplines every day can change your whole life. Your future can change. Your income can change. But you must get a handle on the management of your time. As with everything worthwhile, discipline must be practiced. Discipline is a very important factor in how you manage your time, the twenty-four hours given to you every day.
An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap mental and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who drives through an old, decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.
To be enterprising is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It’s to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough, and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves…regardless of the economy.
An enterprising mortgage banker will develop creative financing strategies during slow markets. An enterprising lawyer will study new laws and market herself to people who may need help in those areas. An enterprising salesman will do extra research to find new prospects for his products or services. He will isolate a secondary market and develop another benefit for his customers.
I (Jim Rohn) have decided that enterprise is better than ease. If you rest too long, the weeds take over the garden in the summer. Life doesn’t stand still, and random negativity will start overwhelming the positive arrangements of life if you just let things go. So we’ve all got to have a positive attitude about activity.
Let me give you one of the best examples I know. An ancient phrase states, “Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might.” That’s a powerful philosophy. Many people are getting by with using half their might.
That may be their own personal philosophy of activity, but how much more could they achieve if they used all of their might? You’ve got to evaluate that question for yourself and apply it to your own life. Put it on your mental scale and come up with your own answers of how it applies to you. How should you live your life? Are you working to your full potential now?
