I'm Not Going to Do My Best Tonight

“Rest and be thankful.”

William Wadsworth

Now may not be the time to do my best.  It may not be the time to be intense, determined, focused, and disciplined.  It may not be the time to give my all.  Instead, it may be time to rest, get ready for tomorrow and give my all then.  It may be time to get to bed a little earlier than usual, because today at lunch, I became very clear about what I want.  I got clarity on my goal.  I got focus and encouragement and practical ideas.   I feel directed and enthusiastic.

So, why then, am I not going to stay up until 1:00 in the morning and work until I drop?  Have I lost my focus, my courage, my determination?  No, in fact, I have more than I’ve ever had before.  I also have a sense of the big picture. 

I want my house on the beach. 

But I don’t want to be sick or exhausted when I get there.  I want to be healthy and happy.

In The Dilbert Principle, author Scott Adams recommends “OA5.”  Out at 5:00.  In other words, put in your time, your eight hours, and then go home.  You won’t be productive enough to make much of a difference after that anyway.  In a perfect world I would put in four to six hours a day just reading and writing.  I would put in another hour or two in developing marketing and publicity skills.  I would devote some time to my radio show.  Then I would call it a day.

But I’m not in a perfect world.  My Muse gently reminded me that I am not a professional writer yet.  I have two different jobs and other responsibilities every day that limit me to about two hours a day of writing.  This is why I try to get up at 5:00 a.m. every day; otherwise I’d have even less time to write.  I also read when I can, and as often as I can.  And I work on the business end of my writing when I can, though, at this point, that’s not very much. 

I do what I can when I can.  Fortunately, that’s still a lot. 

When I get home at night from work, I write some more.  I don’t work an 8-hour day.  I work ten hours or more every day, often including weekends.  But at some point, I need to rest, refresh, and get ready for the next day.  It’s not fun waking up tired, which is something I do often. 

So tonight, I’m not going to do my best for my work.  But I’m going to do my best for my health, my body, and myself.  I have a whole new agenda now and a way to conceivably reach it.  And I’m going to do everything I can to reach it.  I’m just not going to do everything tonight.

Here’s what I will do tonight so that tomorrow is successful. 

·      Finish this blog.

·      Review my plans for tomorrow.

·      Make sure my clothes are ready for work.

Enthusiasm, combined with practicality, is an unbeatable combination.  I’m ready to move forward now in a way I haven’t been before.  I have a stronger sense not only of commitment, but of the steps I need to take to reach that commitment.   I’m reviewing all the work I’ve done in the last year, with an eye to discard what didn’t work, and improve upon what did.  I’m ready to Get Started and Keep Going.  And tomorrow, I’m looking forward to doing my best.