What Are You Chasing?
I have come to the understanding that at every point in my life there are things that are important, and there are things that are not really important.
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Managing the difference between the two is the difference between getting things done and wishful thinking. For me, at least.
Constant appraisal is everything. As I have written more than once, it’s important to step back and review progress. How close(r) are you to your goals? Are you progressing the way you should, or are you distracted by unimportant things? Are you where you should be?
At every point in life, there should be growth – and as there’s growth there’s a change in focus and purpose. There’s a change in desires, wants and needs. What you wanted ten years ago is most likely different from what you will want ten years from now. If it hasn’t changed, it most likely means you’re not progressing.
What do you want?
Let’s say for example I set a goal of walking three miles in two days, that goal becomes redundant the moment I get it done. Three miles no longer seem like such a challenge; been there, done that. Better still, if the goal is to climb Mount Everest, I doubt I would want to do so for a second time except I want to build something at the top of it.
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Else, it’s nothing to me.
I believe in timing and seasons for everything; I don’t think one should do things that should be done as children when one is of a particular age. And, I believe in advancement; of self and everything around one – at least stuff, you can control.
What am I saying?
Priorities are important. For example, money is good, but it shouldn’t be the be-all-and-end-all for everyone; there are bigger things than having money. I believe one should have money but I don’t think it should be the summary of one’s life and purpose. My understanding is people won’t remember how much money I made after I’m gone, but they will remember if I actually stood for something or made a difference or impacted lives positively.
I ask again, what are you chasing?
Of course, we cannot all feel the same way about things. And that’s what makes life interesting.
Therefore, chasing what matters when it matters is key. My father tells me all the time to start a family early enough, so I won’t be raising kids in my seventies. And I agree, it’s not fun to find yourself still worrying about school fees and provisions when you should be thinking about retiring and vacationing somewhere with constant sunshine.
Do what you should when you should, so you won’t still be running when you should be sitting still. Nothing kills faster than that.
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‘Pay now or play later; play now or pay later, one way or the other you will pay’ is another of the smart sayings I keep around me. Truth is, not all of us can pay what our dreams ask of us. So we spend a lot of our time talking about our dreams and wishes, but when it comes down to doing – we’re nowhere to be found. I don’t see the use of talking about something I don’t intend to do – I don’t even see the point in talking about something I want to do. I just go ahead and do it.
Motivational speaker Les Brown talks about imagining your dreams/ideas as little children entrusted to your care – and that when you do nothing with them they die. So he asks people to think how many ghosts of ideas will come to haunt them or their deathbeds – or something like that. The idea, however, is to not waste time wondering about unimportant things, the idea is to get as much as is possible done. There’s no time.
So – what are you chasing? What have you rising from your sleep every morning? Whatever it is – whether money or your own fast-food franchise or clothing label – whatever it is, you should always keep in mind that it is just a bump in the road, there’s always the next hill. So don’t get stuck in one little victory or defeat. There’s more to do.
Too many dreamers, not enough doers.
What is important? Will it matter two, three, five years from now? If you had another chance, would you do the same thing again? These are a few of the questions I ask myself about the things I get into – and they help me stay focused and on course.
I suggest you ask yourself the same thing as frequently as is necessary so whatever it is you do, you’re sure you’re getting it right.
What are you chasing? Do you even know?
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