Do or Do Not, There is No Try

I finished my day yesterday unfinished. I know that seems weird but it is, nonetheless, true. Too many things left to complete. Too many calls left to make. Too many tales to tell. Too little time to do it all in. Is it just me or are the days getting shorter?

I have long theorized that the days get shorter and the years go by quicker as we age because they represent a smaller percentage of the totality of our lives. For instance, for a 10-year old a year represents 1/10 of his life. But for a 40-year old, a year represents a mere 1/40.

Winston Churchill, in all his wisdom, was grasping at what I seem to be feeling these days when he said, "It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary. " I think what I may be feeling is attached to telecommuting. I have trouble leaving the office, given that it is in my home. Many of you can relate, as telecommuting has become more popular.

So how do we make sure that we succeed in doing what is necessary? There are millions of time management tips we can read, review, and try to follow, but it all comes down to your "will." Your will is what drives you out of bed in the morning. It also drives you to work through lunch or into late-night hours. But your will can also be what tells you your work is done for the day. Answering to your will is the easy part; determining your will? Now, that is another story.

"Do or do not, there is no try," famously uttered by Yoda. Determine to make a difference each day. If not in your own life, perhaps in someone else's. It does have to be huge or even medium-sized. Just one small difference. Call a candidate and give a little free advice. Follow through when you say you will. Be happy. Share a smile.

Today is the 16,509th day of my life. Days come and go but what you do in each is where the distinction lies. Here's to 16,509 more.

“You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” ~Rabindranath Tagore, Poet

Come on in, the water's fine...

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on June 4, 2009 at 8:20am

Ray- I days get longer because there's more at stake every day...

It's more than will - as strong as my will may be, I can't will the car to move if I don't turn on the ignition. There are steps that must be completed as part of any process. The best time management techniques "enable" one to break down a process into doable steps that are part of a strategy to achieve something.

There are no shortcuts.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Nuroo on June 4, 2009 at 9:00am

Rayanne, I gotta share this with you. A famous address by a coach in the Australian Football League. A yoda before his time. Gives me goose bumps

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Permalink Reply by Steve Levy on June 4, 2009 at 12:57pm

That's an awful waste of TP...think of all the trees.

Sandra McCartt said:

Reverse priorities work for me. I do the things i don't want to do first and get them out of the way then prioritize the rest of the have to's, want to's and should do's in that order. The should do's move to the top of the list the next day. If one has a big ball of crap it's good to remember that it is made up of a million little pieces of the same that can be cleaned up one at time fast..:)