Consistent Change
I want you to be successful in all aspects of your life. Change will come, ready or not. Things happen. A daily plan is merely a list of what you want to do, to accomplish. Others will decide to interrupt you. Is their need greater than yours? Time available may become less than you hoped for. Therefore, I want you to be prepared to deal with frustrations.
When I was young, I would get frustrated when someone or something altered my plans for the day. As I got older, I found ways to deal with my schedule changes and other frustrations. Now that I am retired, the frustration is just not as relevant. It is easier to go with the flow.
However, there are two facets to time. One is that you have the same amount of time as everyone else on any given day. The other is that you only have one life to live, and we do not know how long we have left to live. So, making good use of your available time is important to your progress, your plans, and your future endeavors.
I present this as a perspective to help you give planning your day greater value. If you plan each day, you can be more productive and effective. That effort will accumulate to your benefit.
Changes show up in various ways. On your job, technology will change and force you to learn new procedures, new methods of doing things. So, learning to accept changes and the study it takes to understand how to work with them is very important.
Change is coming. It is everywhere. And I speak primarily of how things get done and when, based on the decisions of others. Since I have little control over the decisions of others, I often pray that their decisions will help my schedule. When they do not help, I look for a reason why. Maybe I need to do something that is not planned!
Take a deep breath. When you are in charge you will make your own changes. Until then, control what you can and learn to deal with the limitations set by others. And pray, “Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change.”
Learn When to Pass
Sometimes obstacles in our path will take much longer than we want to get around, much like getting behind a slow driver on a hill or on a curve, on a two-lane road. If you try to pass, you may be putting your life and the lives of those who are riding with you, at risk.
I knew someone who did just that and lost his wife and oldest son when he avoided a head-on collision only to roll his car several times. I often think about that when I face a blind curve on a two-lane road.
Your financial plans may experience delays, as well. Be alert on the slow curves of your financial planning and try not to rush your efforts. Time is on your side.
Learn to bide your time. Have a Plan B for the short run. Work on another project, do some research, or, in the car, put in a nice CD of your favorite music!
Careers Have Stages
As we enter the work force, we have high hopes about what our paychecks will allow us to do.
When we start getting those paychecks, we learn about the limits we have for spending. Hence, you learn about a budget.
I realize that you may be long past that point but hear me out. I am trying to paint a long-term picture!
Once you establish yourself as being worthy of your job, (yes, some do not make it past the 30-day trial period) you will work for raises, hopefully, yearly.
Some companies grow and others decline. Depending on which company you have chosen to work for, you may find yourself looking for another job due to a lay-off or getting called on to take on more responsibility and more pay! Prepare for change. Become a reader.
Career paths are like that. Things change and put us in a personal growth mode, again. The fact that you must get a new job could lead to more pay. However, like the promotion scenario, you will be called on to learn new procedures and skills that will stretch your mind and your patience.
Develop the discipline of reading on purpose. Make the time to read a minimum amount every week. Be consistent. Be persistent. It will become an important habit to help in your efforts to make good use of your time and help your preparations for future opportunities.
Give yourself time to grow. And take the time to prepare for your next career opportunity.
“The Long Run”
A career is the accumulation of work experience, not a short job assignment. Your career may be as long as 50 years. Make the most of it. And, towards the end of your career, your accumulated experience will begin to pay off. The more experienced folks are retiring. So, it becomes your time to take their place in roles of advisors or in leadership!
Respect Your Elders
Respect your elders. You will become one, some day. The accumulation of knowledge becomes power, as reflected in the elders in charge at an array of businesses.
The jury is still out on those who made politics a career. Of course, you have the power of change in your vote! (Just thought I would put that in as my patriotic duty!)
Back to Plan B
Change will happen. When you make plans, be sure to add a backup plan–a Plan B. You cannot control the roadblocks or failure of others to do their part on time. Ask any contractor, they try to have a plan to divert their help or their own time to another unfinished project when the planned project is delayed.
As you make your daily list of items you would like to get done, be sure to add a couple of items that can prove to be good alternatives if the main items cannot be accomplished due to the actions or inactions of others. That will help keep your blood pressure under control!
You may ask, with all these bumps in the road, will I not be able to reach my goals in a reasonable amount of time? (I want to make more money!) The answer lies with your planning and working with the time you have available to you. Back to my first statement. I want you to be successful in all aspects of your life. Therefore, I want you to be prepared to deal with change which can frustrate those who are not prepared to find other ways to be productive until the main project gets back on track!