I know, I know. We just started 2013. However, you know December will be here sooner than you think and you along with the rest of the world, will be wondering what happened to the time. As I get older I am reminded daily of how fast time goes by. It seems like just yesterday I was adjusting to writing 2012 on checks and other documents. Now I am having to adjust to writing 2013. The fact is, as we age, we become more aware of how fast time flies because we know we have less and less of it. Like anything in life, we cherish the sacred, and for most of us, our most prized possession is time. We can never get it back once it has past.
What will you feel like when December arrives? Will you feel like you accomplished what you set out to do or will you feel like you failed? Or will you not care? Most of us are compelled to achieve things in life. It’s the way we were wired. Think about how you felt the last time you mowed the lawn, or in my case, watched someone else mow your lawn. In any case, you felt a sense of accomplishment. Mowing the lawn is a relatively simple task, yet it does wonders for your sense of gratification. Wouldn’t it be great to have that experience in December, only on a much larger scale? Compare mowing the lawn to losing 50 lbs, writing a book, running a marathon, etc…You can imagine the feeling.
How do you want to feel in December? Now is the time to put the wheels in motion.
Below are a few tips for having a December to remember:
- Create a list of things you want to accomplish this year
- Create a list of things you need to remove from your life
- Identify what is preventing you from achieving your goals
- Put a plan into action broken down with the end in mind
Example:
1. Lose 42 lbs this year
There are 42 weeks left in the year
1 lb per week
2.29 ounces per day-This is a very achievable goal when viewed this way
2. Read 21 books this year for spiritual and personal growth
Read 1 book every 2 weeks
Read 18 pages per day based on an average book having 250 pages, again, a very achievable goal.
You can do anything you want to do if you will only make a daily choice to do so. We are what stands in the way of achieving our goals.
Remember, you must be W.I.S.E.™ to achieve your goals. It’s What I Sacrifice Everyday.
Question:
What are you going to do to have a December to remember?
What if you could travel back in time? What if you could go back to one day in the past and relive any 24 hour period taking all of the knowledge you currently possess?
We’ve all seen it. The mid-forties man who trades in his family for a new woman, new children, new car, new wardrobe and a new conscience. Usually she’s a giant step down in character from his current wife, but he’s too blind to see it in spite of the obvious signs. He’s bored at work, feeling like his contributions don’t matter. He looks in the mirror one day and asks the question, “Is this all there is to life?” and decides to do something drastic, something different, something that is for him.
Having just come off of the road as a full time musician/drummer for the band Big Daddy Weave, I am having to make big adjustments with my family in regard to our schedule. While on the road, I was gone an average of 140 nights per year, missing about 40% of life at home. I missed a lot of the normal, everyday things that others often take for granted in life. Friday night dates with my wife, Saturday afternoon bike rides with my girls and after-church naps on the sofa were just a few of the things I missed. I was traveling the country and getting to be a part of an amazing move of God, but I was missing life at home where life was continuing without me.
How many of us sit at a restaurant with our family or a group of friends holding our cell phone in our hand before the meal comes? That’s the sound of hands going up everywhere. What about answering the phone or returning a text in the middle of the meal? There’s that sound again. I stand guilty as charged, but I’m committed to improvement. I want those I am with to think they are the most important person to me at that moment. I don’t want them to feel less important than the person I am talking with on the other end of the phone or texting with, even though I’ve spoken the all too common phrase, “this will just take a second, it’s important”. Of course there are always exceptions.
My day is filled with good things. Very good things in fact, but often I set aside the “best” things. I love the phrase, “The enemy of the best is the good.” The problem I often encounter is what I call “life”, however, it doesn’t have to be like that. We can choose what we do, just like we can choose whether we want water, soda, tea or coffee. The biggest problem is not wanting to do the right thing, the problem is actually following through. I always want to choose soda, but I know I should choose water. It seems like the weight of the world is on me to choose soda, but then it quickly disappears once I choose water. After I choose water, I am always glad, but it’s hard to see this when I’m in the middle of the choice.
Often this can be confusing, but realize you show love by spending time. You will never hear anyone say they wish they had spent more time at work. It always revolves around relationships. When we reach a certain age in life it will become crystal clear what mattered. When everything else is gone, all we have left are the relationships we built and cultivated while on earth.
What do you want to accomplish in 2013? If you are like most people, you have a lot of items on your to-do-list. My list is massive. For most of us, it includes things related to more money, better use of time, better health, better relationships and a better spiritual life.
The secret to achieving an extraordinary life is understanding motivation. My greatest struggle, partly due to traveling for a living, is going to bed too late. This results in me getting up later than I want, resulting in me getting less done than I want, causing me to have average results throughout my day. I really struggle with this. I feel as if I am “giving up” on life when I go to bed. Like a boxer going down for the count, I fight going to bed every second, longing for more time awake. However, if I were offered $1,000,000 in 12 months to get up at 5am everyday for the next year, I can assure you I would have no problem getting up at 5am. It would be an adjustment but I would do it with little thought of doing otherwise. Why? Because I understand the motivation. $1,000,000 would dramatically change my life. I could make a long list of the ways my family would benefit. In fact, making the decision to do it would be a no brainer.
What about exercise? If you were given the same deal: Exercise 3 times per week for a year and the $1,000,000 is yours. Lose that extra 50 lbs by years end and the $1,000,000 is yours. Quit drinking soda, compulsive shopping, gossiping, looking at pornography, etc… Whatever it may be, if offered $1,000,000 to refrain, you could do it. This proves you can do just about anything you want if you have the right motivation. The problem with that scenario is no one is going to offer you $1,000,000. You have to learn to replace the $1,000,000 with the right motivation.
