The plate is full, the calendar is packed, the To Do list wraps around the block… Deadlines knock, new tasks beg to be attended to, and the future is not even here yet!
How do you handle your priorities when there are too many of them that demand full attention?
Well, I got started this morning…paused…thought about how cool it is outside and that tractor sounds like it needs to be started up for a while. Nearly, yep, nearly… I nearly chucked it all and fled to the safety of my yard with my Kubota and started flinging dirt, digging out rocks and basically enjoying the escape. There are trees to plant, ground to level, grass to mow, trees to prune…you know, all the things that make a lot of sense to do before it gets too hot!
Nearly. Whoa, horsie! Back up in the stall. Park it. Bring your mind back into focus. Pull out your busy book and name some priorities and let’s get this list whittled down to size!
Sometimes you have to take the bull by the horns! Wait! Where did that idiom come from? So, I paused and looked it up: “To approach, confront, or deal with a problem or difficult situation directly and with clear, confident ACTION.” When you grapple with a bull you want to take away the power of the bull by grabbing that which you fear. That which can hurt you. That which shakes your confidence. The Horns! The bull doesn’t bite, but he can stomp, charge, and poke! Take away the power of the poke and you’ve probably set yourself up for success!
Two bullish memories come to mind….
- Texas Prison Rodeo – every Sunday in October at Huntsville, Tx. The prisoners conducted a wild rodeo experience that included trying to be the one to grab the money tied between the horns of a wild, and possibly raging, bull. 30 prisoners hoping to be the one to grab success would run at the bull, escaping the horns and the charge, stretching their arms into the fray.
- Brahman Bulls – My dad’s sister, Edna, took all of us kids out to their pastures one day (for some odd reason) and there were two Brahman bulls fighting. Possibly for mating rights, or to prove their dominance over each other. I remember all of us kids getting out of the back of the truck and crowding into the cab as we slowly inched by these fighting bulls… My aunt reminded me of this just a couple of weeks before she passed at age 95! It was a great and scary memory of 50+ years ago!
So. I’m not talking about taking chances with the bull by fighting it in a ring with spectators in the stands. No. I’m talking about taking control of your schedule, the varied distractions, and put a goal in front of you that you can accomplish.
So. This morning. Put aside every distraction. Turn off the music. Shut out the news. Quit the social scene. Clear your desk. Hide stacks of distractions out of site. The yard can wait. The errand can be handled later. (If you haven’t figured it out I’m talking to myself.) Sometimes you need the escape, but too often you need to take control of your life and start making things happen!
Let’s make a good start at this morning!