A Sprint

“He who rules his spirit has won a greater victory than the taking of a city.”

Jesus

In the next hour, I’m going to write a blog and work on a resume.  I don’t know why but the Enemy seems to be working overtime on me today, keeping me distracted and unfocused.  In this case, the Enemy is internal.  I’m the Enemy.  I can’t blame the devil.  I’m making my own choices.  So I’m not leaving this chair until I get this blog written.  The moment I wrote that last sentence, I got this huge temptation to get up and adjust the music volume.  Here are some other things that will or might happen:

·      I’m going to get tired and want a nap. 

·      The phone’s going to ring.

·      Someone is going to want to chat.

·      I’m going to start thinking about a problem that needs immediate attention.

·      I’m going to start thinking about a problem that I can’t do anything about.

·      I’m going to start feeling guilt or shame about things I’ve done wrong or time I’ve wasted.

·      I’m going to start getting angry about situations where I feel I’ve been wronged.

In The Art of War, Lao Tzu says, “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”  I’m not very good at mastering myself sometimes.  Maybe that’s why I’m not as far ahead in life as I’d like to be.   It helps to remember that I don’t have to run a marathon, just a lot of sprints according to Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr in The Power of Full Engagement.  They also say that the trick is not to manage time, but energy. 

Today I read another quote, by Robert Kiyosaki who said, “The only difference between a rich person and a poor person is how they use their time.”

So there are three things to manage:

·      My mind

·      My energy

·      My time

They are all a part of each other.  That’s why I’m sitting here writing this blog.  Even though I’m thinking about or worried about a lot of immediate problems, I’m more worried about some future problems:

·      Will I reach my goal of 365 blogs by December 29, 2013?

·      Will I have enough money to get my house on the beach?

·      Will I reach my goal of writing and speaking professionally?

·      Will I do the things I said I would do so that I can look back with pride and greater self-esteem?

·      Will I do the things I said I would so that others can trust me?

·      Will I become the man I want to be, the man I am created to be?

Those are more serious issues than the concerns I have now.  I’m not saying I shouldn’t address my other concerns soon, but in ten months and ten years, as Suzy Welch says in her book 10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea, what I’m doing here and now in this chair is ultimately more important.  So I’m going to keep writing this blog until I’m done. 

I’m also going to remember some strategies, based on my reading:

·      Treat life and my work as a series of sprints rather than a marathon. (Schwartz and Loehr)

·      Consider the long-term perspective.  (Brian Tracy)

·      Keep my goals in front of me constantly.  (Lisa Nichols)

·      Put forth ten times the amount of effort.  (Grant Cardone)

·      Keep the end in mind.  (Steven Covey)

·      Be grateful.  (Rhonda Byrne)

·      Get Started.  (Me)

·      Keep Going.  (Me)