There is something about those early morning thoughts blazing trails through the tendrils of sleep and flashing like lightning on the awakening world. At least it is for me! As I perused my daily plan of action, I realized, in a flash, that I was limiting the growth of some by not completing what I said I would do. Timing. Overcommitment. Needing to feel in control. Whoa…
In other words. I’m my own worst enemy!
We often know this but refuse to acknowledge it – We are our own worst enemy! Click To TweetBack in the day of managing people, where we were all being paid to do what we were doing, well, it was simpler. My function required specific actions from me and others. We slipped into our rolls. Voila! Success! Today it’s running the gambit of volunteers, their commitment levels, schedules, and needs. All while not wanting to make them feel overloaded as I often feel.
I never want to be the limiting factor, but I see it clearly. I am.
Before You Know It
As I age, my focus has not stayed razor-sharp as it has been in the past. The task list gets lengthier, and the world has become more complex. I’ve always enjoyed keeping my fingers in the pie, so to speak, so skills stay fairly current. After all, I can still write DOS commands on my computer, but who needs this anymore? Shifting gears 3-on-the-tree? I can’t tell you when I last drove a car with this configuration. But for both? Muscle memory tells me I can still do it!
Before you know it, you are awash with things to do, places to go, and not near enough hours in the day to even think about checking something off as “Done!”
So, I haul in my personality and say, “Stop it!” You have to watch my reference to understand why this works for me. [Click Here] Google Bob Newhart…and Stop It…
Then I ask myself, “Why?” What brought me to this point? Fear of losing control? Threatened by someone else’s ability to shine or mess up? Worried that someone else will do the job better? Or differently?
Before I know it the list of questions mounts upwards of a dozen or more! Buried somewhere in the answers are the reasons. Yes. It’s plural.
I have found that it’s never a simple, nor a single answer.
How Do You Fix This?
How do you fix this? It’s really a simple thought. Stop it. Although, some can do nothing until they run it by a therapist, counselor, mentor, or coach. Others will dig into self-help books seeking the answer. Or they will spend hours looking for a YouTube video to give them an answer. Pester a friend, and you’ll probably lose a connection! Procrastinate too long, and nothing will get done.
I know about myself because I do not need to know why I’m doing this, only that I can control it by stopping it! Exert Will Power. Self Control. Speak it into existence!
It evolves into understanding that it’s all about Personal Responsibility.
Really? Can you force yourself into taking responsibility? We all know how well that works as we look at our spending habits, financial controls, weight loss, or even New Years Resolutions!
Repairing the problem is a lifelong pursuit of making micro-changes daily, on every task, and let go of the control.
Here’s My Thought Today
If we ever have a vision of the future, then the possibility of getting there successfully requires us to have a plan. It’s not a personal plan where you are the lone wolf. Rather, the T-E-A-M (together everyone achieves more) approach of having the associations that lifts everyone’s boat as the tide rushes in.
Jesus had a plan, but it required assistance. Not in completing his plan, but in continuing it on long past himself. He commissioned his followers to go forward after he was gone. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:47-48, Acts 1:8)
Elijah was seemingly reluctant to have a follower, but Elisha was there to pick up the mantle as he went up into heaven. And, he continues the calling!
Paul had many he reached, groomed, and sent, but the ones we notice particularly were Timothy, Titus, and even poor Demas.
There is an old saying that goes something like this.
If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
Maybe this is the key for all of us… Know where we are going, and pick our traveling companions appropriately. Someone will be there to pick up where we left off… if only we properly plan!
For a Plan to work, we must know where we are going and pick our traveling companions appropriately. Only then can you have success. Click To Tweet