#goals

Written by John A. Anderson

I  learned a valuable lesson as a teenager. It came from mowing lawns.  At first, I didn’t care too much about the job I did, but over time and as I got more mature and wise, I realized that the better the mowing job, the more mowing opportunities I got. The more I cared about my output, the more valuable I became to others.  

So, I began to study lawn mowing ‘design’. I began to notice the mower lines and patterns. I began to assess whether cross-cutting made a better result, and learned that I could charge a bit more by offering this service. I also learned that it is better to trim and edge first, then mow. And on big jobs I learned that to keep a straight line, I needed to pick a point in the distance, and keep the mower centered on that distant point, rather than looking down at each step.  

It wasn’t terribly profound at the time, but it’s become more so now that I’m at this point in my life. I’ve realized how important it is to become interested and passionate about what you do, and that truly caring about your ‘output’ is key to success in almost every area of life. And, obviously, I’ve learned that to stay centered in life, you must have a vision of the future, you must pick a point and stay focused on that point as you move towards it. 

I encourage you to assess your situation in life, and make sure you’ve looked ahead in your future, picked a point, and have a centered line to follow as you get there.  You’ve heard the old cliché -

The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday’s tomorrow.  

It’s just so terribly true. Here is a good question to ask yourself. Ten years from now you will surely arrive. The question is, where will you be and how will you get there?

Time marches on with such frightening consistency that we really cannot afford to put off anything of value in our lives.  Sometimes we become guilty of wasting tomorrow’s opportunities by spending frivolously our time today. What we could have achieved may easily elude us, despite our intentions, until we inevitably discover that the things that might have been, have vanished, each unused day at a time.

“Time is the great equalizer of all mankind. It has taken away the best and the worst of us without regard for either. Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency. Each of us must pause frequently to remind ourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment we drew our first breath will also someday cease,” reminds Jim Rohn, a favorite business mentor of mine.

So as you think of your dreams and goals of your future tomorrow, begin today to take those very important first steps to making them all come to life. And, look up. Look ahead, down the road a bit in your life, and envision where and what you want to be. Draw a line to that destination and stay centered on that path until you arrive. The future will be here too soon.