'Afraid to manage my life!'
On page 263 of "The Goal" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, there is a conversation between young Skywalker, Alex Rogos, and Yoda, his former physics teacher turned manufacturing consultant, Jonah.
As Yoda (maybe Obi-Wan) pushes him to identify what he wants, Alex answers,
"It wouldn't be bad to learn how to manage my life, but I'm afraid that would be asking for too much."
While that's sad, what's even sadder is that 40 years have passed since this book was written, and as a society, we're more afraid than ever to ask how to manage our lives.
We allow ourselves to be distracted by pot, porn, and playoffs, which makes us passive and lazy, which makes us easily manipulated and controlled.
The goo-roos and thought leaders and influencers know this about us. (Disciplined drug dealers don't get hooked on their own products, so they remain above the fray.)
They dangle the next hot thing in front of us like catnip, and we jump on it right on cue.
But before we finish chapter one of today's latest hot thing, we're onto tomorrow's?new hot thing because we’ve been conditioned to never be satisfied…to continue seeking…to hustle…to grind…to “sleep when you’re dead,” because that’s what “successful people do.”
Crazy, ain’t it?
It reminds me of the adage, “It doesn't matter what the truth is if you can get them to ask the wrong questions.”
This endless chase leaves us too exhausted and frustrated to ask, "how can I manage my life?,” so we settle for “how can I get 10 more likes, 15 more subscribers, 20 more shares?”
Now, I’m not saying that 10 more likes, 15 more subscribers, and 20 more shares aren’t valid and even valuable goals, but how do they fit inside of your big picture?
Goldratt showed in his book how everything in a factory is connected, but it’s not always obvious how they are connected and how a slowdown in one area can create exponential damage to the entire factory.
The same is true in your life.
While you may be able to do extreme fitness training for a month or even a year, can you do it for your entire life and keep your business going, your family strong, and your faith stronger still?
Or you may be able to buckle down for two years and get that executive MBA, but you’ll probably need a new wardrobe, a new church, but not a new job, because they’re gonna want their pound of flesh out of you for springing for that degree.
That’s why I made 12 Weeks To Peak?.
It’s not about perfection.
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It’s about proving to yourself that you can make meaningful, sustainable progress in the four key areas of your life—faith, family, fitness, and finance—simultaneously, and you can continue doing so for the rest of your life.
In other words, it’s about managing your life.
Goldratt was 37 years old when he wrote those words 40 years ago.
He lived 27 more years helping people around the world ask and answer that question.
I’m 54, so if I only live as long as Goldratt, I have 10 years to help do the same.
Hopefully, I have more time, but I may have less. How much time do you have?
How much longer do you want to tolerate not knowing how to manage your life?
I work with a max of 12 in this affordable, small-group edition, which you can begin here.
If you’d like to discuss having me as your daily, private accountability partner for 12 intense weeks, you can schedule a time to discuss it here:
~Wes Schaeffer
P.S. Tomorrow, I’m talking about another section in the book, which ties in nicely as to why I give you some recommendations as to what to do in the 12 Weeks To Peak?program, but ultimately, you set the schedule and the pace.
Exterior motivation and hype are fine from time to time, but until you find your own spark and the ability to keep it lit and why it needs to be lit, you’ll always fall prey to the whim of the next goo-roo or thought leader.
It’s okay to manage your own life.
You were created to do just that.
You can get started here now.