I heard myself say this many times. I have also heard others say it as well. I need to find the time to do X. Substitute your personal commitment in for X.
Now let us pause of a minute and contemplate what that means. The most important thing that I can do to improve my life and reach my full potential is something that I need to find the time for. Huh? Really? Find the time! Sure! Sounds like an excuse born straight out of the natural primal brain looking for a way around being uncomfortable.
You (me) simply do not need to find the time. What I believe we need to do is keep our commitment first, above anything else. Stop making excuses. Many people shared commitments they are making with me and most of them would take less then 30 minutes to accomplish. The problem is not time. The problem is you do not want to do it. Perhaps I can be the annoying little cricket that whispers into your conscious this morning – a commitment is a commitment – so stop whining and go be a real boy (or girl).
You really want to cut those strings? Then start acting for yourself. Choose to overcome your inward self and gain mastery by keeping a commitment for a sustained period of time. When you are not in control of your inner self – you spend the rest of the day getting acted upon. Act instead of being acted upon. This is accomplished by keeping commitments to yourself. Acted upon people eventually end up on Pleasure Island and start braying and sprouting longer ears.
So are you in search of time to do what is really important to you? Then start acting for yourself. My guess is that some people do not have time because they are serving the will of others. This could be simple such as Anheuser Busch has really convinced you that the only real light in your life is a can of bud light, or more perhaps a bit more complex. Your children could be really demanding and you are torn between personal interest and the sacrificial efforts that you must do to help your loved ones. I am sure we all have our challenges that push the limits of what we have available to us. I am writing this blog from a robotics competition that I am helping to judge for this weekend. Fun, but definitely testing my commitment level. Yes, I had to wake early and get some things done, but it certainly feels much better helping my kids out today without the burden of not keeping my commitments hanging over my head. I got done with my time early.
The point is that you do have the time to keep and maintain a personal commitment. Yeah you may not have the time to do everything you want, but you can start taking control and acting for yourself. Maybe it is only 30 minutes, but that is 30 minutes you are investing in yourself. So stop looking for the time and making excuses and just get it done.
Guy Reams
365 Alumni
86 Days Left to 1st Marathon
