TODAY - It's HERE, It's NOW...LIVE IT NOW!

Just a quick entry for today. There's that word...TODAY.

I've talked about this many different times over the years but simply wanted to bring it to the forefront of your thought process today as we near the end of another calendar year. 

By the way, you do realize what the calendar year is made up of, right? Years are made up of months, months made up of weeks and weeks are made up of days and "days" are made up up of individual "TODAYS". 

So, it's TODAY. 

Like it or not, it's HERE. 

What are you going to do with it? What ARE you doing with it?

Bottom line: It's HERE, It's NOW and it is imperative that you LIVE IT NOW!

And, as you do so, always be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

YouTube 

 

Make Your PRIORITIES a PRIORITY

(be sure to check out the podcast on iTunes or on the RSS feed)

I don't really  have a lot more to say/write about this topic. I do encourage you to be sure to listen to the podcast on this last part of the series and be sure to follow through with the steps lined out to help you focus in on what your priorities really are.

Remember, belief without ACTION gets you nowhere (faith without works is dead). So, stop talking about what you WANT your priorities to be and start doing ...let me emphasize that word DOING...whatever it takes to get YOUR priorities as YOUR priorities.

Here's a thought you won't find in the podcast and one that I believe to be true: "Priorities are like a lot of other things in your life. If YOU don't pick them, someone else will!"

That should be a sobering thought.

So, once again, if you've not done so, go back and AT LEAST listen to and read the series on "PRIORITIES" from this week. However, I suggest you go back to the series on "TIME" the week before to tie all of these things together.

And then...

TAKE ACTION!

Be sure to join me tomorrow for a podcast/blog for a completely unrelated topic! You'll be glad you did! And, until then, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

PRIORITIES: Make Them YOURS

(be sure to check out the podcast on iTunes or on the RSS feed)

We actually began this journey in last week's podcast and blog when I began talking about our use of time and the need for us to "re-purpose" some of our time so that we can use it for what is really important to us. I even had you make a list of all the things that you would do IF you only had the time and, we all discovered that the time was actually there all along.

Along with that I had you make a list of your daily activities and encouraged you to carry that out for at least a week so that you could get a pretty good picture of what was really important to you in your life and to also find those "time bandits" that most of us have in our schedules. By finding those "time bandits" and "re-purposing" that time for something more important and of more value we can actually "get more" out of the same 24 hours that we all have.

The natural connection is this: we FIND the time or TAKE the time to do what is important to us and, that being so, we FIND the time or TAKE the time for those things that are PRIORITIES in our lives.

So, this week, as I have been discussing priorities, I've asked that you go back and use that same daily schedule to pinpoint what your priorities actually are. What are they? The things that we have found that we spend most of our time doing in a day. I also asked that you make a heading on a piece of paper that read, "What I WANT My Priorities to Be" and then to list all of the things that you WANT to be of importance or a priority in your life.

Most - if not all of us - will find that what we WANT and what we HAVE are not always the same thing...even in this area of priorities. So, here's where the real work begins...we have the tools before us to discover what our priorities actually ARE (and we may discover that they are not even OUR priorities!) and how to compare them to what we WISH they were.

WHAT NOW?

As usual, that is up to you. Oh, wouldn't it be easy if I could just fix it for you or if you could go to bed and, in the morning it be all corrected? We know better than that yet, many of us still expect it to happen without us actually having to DO anything or make any decisions that require action on our part.

But that, my friend, is NOT reality. Now that we have been able to take a look and see what IS as opposed to what we wish WAS, it's now time to get busy and decide how important (how much of a PRIORITY) it is to get our PRIORITIES straight!

It's easy to talk about and even exciting to SEE what CAN be but, friend, if you don't TAKE ACTION then you will stay right where you are. It is IMPOSSIBLE to move forward by standing still.

So, YOU decide. Re-purpose whatever time you need to in order to start getting these PRIORITIES at the top (uh, that's what MAKES them a priority, right?) and stop making excuses.

Be sure to listen to the podcast for some more insight on this...you'll be glad you did!

Get on with this thing called life and make it YOUR life with YOUR priorities. Again, you'll be glad you did! Until next time, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

PRIORITIES: What's Yours?

(be sure to check out the podcast on iTunes or on the RSS feed)

PRIORITIES...some have them, some don't, all should! However, if the truth is to be known on this matter, we ALL have priorities whether we realize it or not. Even if you don't think you have them, take a moment and think about choices you made today that would indicate otherwise. Or, just take a look at your bills and ask yourself why you pay them in the order that you do. Or, if money is tight, how do you decide which bill to pay and which one to wait on until later? PRIORITIES!

The word "priority" is defined (as a noun) in the following way as found on www.dictionary.com ... 1. the state or quality of being earlier in time, occurrence, etc. 2. the right to precede others in order, rank, privilege, etc.; precedence.  3. the right to take precedence in obtaining certain supplies, services, facilities, etc., especially during a shortage. 4. something given special attention.

When you look at the adjective definition you will find the following... "highest or higher in importance, rank, privilege, etc.".

As a matter of fact, you made reading this blog a priority over doing something else, right? Sure you did!

Here's something to think about: PRIORITIES and PROCRASTINATION have a very close - but not healthy - relationship with each other. Many of our PRIORITIES fall to the wayside due to PROCRASTINATION. Again, to continue this thought, even procrastination is a way of prioritizing what actually IS important to us in our lives.

Here's a couple of things to get you started for this week as we prepare to go through this series...

     1. Get a new sheet of paper and write this across the top: "WHAT I WANT MY PRIORITIES TO BE IN MY LIFE"

     2. Just like last week, brainstorm - NO WRONG ANSWERS - and honestly write down what you really want to have in your life as far as priorities.

     3. Now, go back and get that list that shows your schedule (what you actually DID during the day - not what you PLANNED to do) and try to carry that out for at least a week if you haven't done so already

     4. If you carry this out for a week it should give you a pretty good idea of what your priorities actually have been over this time period. EVEN IF you haven't done it but for a day or two it will still give you an idea of what your PRIORITY was for those couple of days.

    5. Now, on the back of the sheet you started in #1 (or on a new sheet), based on what you have discovered from looking over your "daily activities/schedule sheet"...write this heading: "WHAT MY PRIORITIES CURRENTLY ARE IN MY LIFE" and write down what you have found to be true.

Don't beat yourself up over this, o.k.? You may discover that, out of necessity, one of your main priorities right now is your young child(ren). That's not a bad thing at all and, by doing this exercise, you will actually discover if that actually IS a priority or if it's what SHOULD be (but it's not) a priority in your life right now.

Please take the time to do this - it will mean so much more to you and FOR you if you will!

PRIORITIES..we all have them whether we think we do or not and they are not always what we want them to be. Join me again tomorrow as we delve into this topic a bit more. But, until then...

"Be sure to make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

TIME: Where Did THAT Come From?

(be sure to check out the podcast on iTunes or on the RSS feed)

As you are discovering, it's no magic trick to start finding time that you thought didn't exist. We're NOT pulling something "magically" out of a hat even though it may seem to "magically" appear.

Hopefully, by following through with the lists I have asked you to put together this week you have been able to see that, although you are not gaining any EXTRA time, you are finding that there is time available to you that can be "re-purposed" and used for something better than it's current use.

Magic? No. Smart and productive? Yes and yes!

So, now let's go back to that first list I had you put together at the start of the week that had you list what you would do IF only you had the time. Get it out - go on - and now take a look at it along with the schedule of your daily activities. (I'll wait.)

Now then, when you look over your daily activities, did you find that you had some time that you could "re-purpose"? (Go back and read yesterday's article on this). How MUCH time did you find that you could actually re-purpose for something that would be more productive for you?

Add up how much time you found that could be re-purposed...go ahead, add it up. Did you find one extra hour? Two? Three? Maybe even more? Again, some of you may say that you are busy from the time you get up until the time you go to bed. I'm not doubting that some of you are very busy but - let's be honest - very rarely does anyone actually have NO time during their day.

But, if you are one of those that believe that to be true about your day then consider the idea of getting up an hour earlier or staying up an hour later. Hey, it's just a thought for those that feel that there is absolutely NO time in their daily schedule to be "re-purposed".

Now, go back to that first list of the things you would do if you had the time. BINGO. You have found the time (that was there all along), now what can/will you do with it? Listen, I realize that you aren't going to be able to take an extra vacation by finding one or two hours available during your day. I mean, it's not like you can accumulate them and use them like vacation days at work, right?

But, WHAT IF you used that "extra" time to research and get involved in some sort of home-based business that would bring in the extra income you'd need to take that vacation? (Be very careful - DO THE RESEARCH - before deciding on such an opportunity). Maybe there is even something you can do "in person" as opposed to being on line that could bring you some extra income.

Perhaps you put on your list the desire to get a college degree. Again, do the research and see what is available for you - even on-line.

HERE'S THE POINT: Now that you realize - and actually SEE it for yourself - that you have the time available, it is now up to you to DO something with that time. It is now time for YOU to decide what PURPOSE you will now dedicate this time for during your day. It does no good at all to "find" this time and not re-purpose it for something useful and valuable.

GET SERIOUS about this and DO SOMETHING that will make a difference in your life. Hey, if nothing else, you have realized that time DOES exist in your day. Now it's up to you as to what you plan to do with it.

Well? Stop talking about it and start DOING it and LIVING it. I know this is going to sound corny but...THE TIME IS NOW.

Be sure to join me tomorrow as I look at another purpose for which we all can use this "re-purposed" time in our day. But, until then, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

TIME BANDITS

(be sure to check out the podcast on iTunes or on the RSS feed)

So far this week I have asked you to write up two different lists... one was a list of the things under the heading of, "If I had the time, I would..." and then, yesterday, I asked that you make a list of your daily schedule. Here's an important note on this last one - don't write down what you PLAN to do but, rather, what you actually DID do.

Why have I asked you to do these things? To help you realize that you DO have the time to do more than you think you do. It's already there! I've already emphasized the fact that we ALL have the exact same amount of time available to each of us even though some get more out of their day than others.

We're not talking about "making" more time but, instead, "re-purposing" the time we already have. Think about that phrase, "re-purposing" and combine that with the topic we discussed in last week's articles and you will see that we are talking about deciding to use certain blocks of time for a particular "purpose" other than that for which it is already being used.

It is deciding to CHANGE the purpose for that particular block of time. Remember, the time is there but you may not be using it in a productive way. "If I only had more time..." That just isn't going to happen but it IS possible to FREE UP some of the time you already have.

Let me say this so that no one misunderstands: There is absolutely NOTHING WRONG with taking some time for yourself and relaxing in whatever way you choose. Sure, it may be watching a soap opera or something else on television. It may be just kicking back on the couch and doing absolutely NOTHING. However, the problem comes when that one television show turns into two or three and that thirty minute "nap" turns into a two hour "sleep fest".

What time is available for you to "re-purpose"? Look at the sheet that I asked you to start putting together that shows your daily activity one hour at a time. I can't answer that question for you and only YOU can answer it honestly IF you are actually wanting to accomplish more during your day.

You may decide that even that one television show is not really worth that chunk being taken out of your day. You may decide that instead of sitting mindlessly in front of the television that you will read something of value instead. You may decide that the time spent on a social networking site could be better spent researching and developing a home-based business. **NOTE: Be careful any time you are on the computer. It is very easy to allow yourself to become distracted checking e-mail accounts and still thinking you are going to check that social network site out for "just a couple of minutes" and then end up getting nothing done that you actually set out to do.

Want to read your Bible more or pray more? Take a look at that daily activity (schedule) sheet that you have filled out and be amazed at how much time is actually available to do just that. By the way, LISTENING to the Bible on audio is a great way to accomplish this AS you do something else at the same time.

CHALLENGE: Take an honest look at what you actually do during an average day and see how much "extra" time you find available for you to use in a different way...how much time you can "re- purpose". You will likely be amazed as long as you are being completely honest with what you wrote down as you went through the day. (Chatting with a friend on-line is NOT an "on-line business meeting").

Oh, and the title, "Time Bandits"? You've already begun to discover and unveil them in your schedule. Time Bandits are all of those "things" in your day that take up your time and give you nothing in return. They TAKE - even STEAL - from you and your desire to accomplish and/or do more.

We'll touch on this some more tomorrow but begin to think about this...now that you are finding time to be "re-purposed", what things from that first list ("things I would do if...") can now be done?

Find the TIME BANDITS in your day and "put them in jail" and throw away the key! Hey, it is YOUR day, right?

Think about it and join me again tomorrow as we continue this discussion. But, until then, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

If I Only Had MORE Time

(be sure to check out the podcast on iTunes or on the RSS feed)

Time. If we had more of it we'd accomplish SO much more, right? Or at least, that's what we think. But, would we? My guess is that, if we had more time, we'd use it exactly the same way that we use the time we DO have right now.

In other words, if you are the type of person that squeezes everything possible out of the time you have each day then, with more time, you'd do the same and accomplish even more. If you are the type of person that seems to never have enough time to get things done then, as much as it hurts to say, you'd likely not get any more done with extra time.

In yesterday's article I asked that you get out a piece of paper and write these words across the top: "If I had the time, I would..." I asked that you make a list of all of the things that you would do if you only had the time. Again, this is NOT a trick - I promise - and I'm not about to bash you over the head for what it is that you write down. This will all come into play in the next article or two.

But, for now, either get another piece of paper OR use the back of that sheet that you used to make that list and write out your day. What do I mean? Start with what time you get up in the morning and, hour by hour, write down what you do or did during that time period.

For example, if you get up at 5:30 then make a slot for 5:30 - 6:30 a.m. and write what took place (or will take place) during that time period. Be as detailed as possible and be HONEST with yourself! No one else is going to see this and it is imperative that you be honest about this or this exercise is a waste of that precious commodity that we are discussing - TIME!

Do that - even as you go through your day - from the time you get up until the time you get to bed. Don't worry about looking over that as you go to bed... you can, but it's not necessary since I'll be discussing your findings in the next article.

But remember, the time is there for all of us. It's simply a choice of what we TAKE time to do.

Thanks for taking the TIME to join me today and I hope you'll continue with me tomorrow via this blog as well as the podcast (the links can be found at the start of this article). Until next time, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

TIME: Don't Have vs. Don't Take

(be sure to check out the podcast on iTunes or on the RSS feed)

"I would but I just don't have the time!"

How many times have you either SAID that or HEARD that said? As a matter of fact, take a moment and try to think of when the last time YOU said this phrase occurred...was it sometime today? Yesterday? We likely say something along this lines way more often than we realize.

Many times we say this to our kids when they are seeking our help and/or attention but we are busy with something else..."Mom! I need you to help me!" "Not now honey, I don't have time!" We don't want to sound like bad parents by saying what is actually true which would be, "Not now honey, I'm not going to TAKE the time for you right now."

Is that bad? No! Listen parents, there is no way in the world that we can devote all 24 hours a day to our children - IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! Now listen, if you're sitting in front of the t.v. eating Cheetos and watching a soap opera when your kid asks for your help and you say you don't have time - SHAME ON YOU! That's right... I said it.

But, if you are busy with something that helps the family (cleaning the house, balancing the checkbook or paying the bills, etc.), then there is nothing wrong with actually saying, "I can't take the time right now."

So many times we say we don't HAVE the time when, in reality, we simply choose to not TAKE the time. So, the question actually is this: What are you TAKING the time for during your day?

This SHOULD be obvious but it still needs pointing out - we ALL have the same amount of time every day. We ALL have 24 hours a day, divided up by hours, made up of 60 minutes, made up of 60 seconds each. It doesn't matter how rich or poor you are and it doesn't matter where in the world you live - TIME IS THE SAME FOR US ALL!

Here's what I want you to do to start this series off for the week - get out another piece of paper like you did during last week's series. Go ahead, get that paper and something to write with and write this across the top of that paper....

IF I HAD TIME, I WOULD...

Do that and then start writing things down - WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Don't over-think this, o.k.? Just write down what you would do IF you "had the time".

No, this isn't a trick. Take a few minutes and do this and feel free to add to it as you go through your day. DO NOT THROW THIS PAPER AWAY! Hang on to it - I will be coming back to it later on in the week.

Many times we don't want to hear the truth behind this fact but it's still true: THE TIME IS THERE!

I hope you'll join me the rest of the week as we go though and discover the time that is already in our day that we may be able to use for those things that we've always wanted to do.

Be thinking about that - fill out that list on that piece of paper and, in the meantime, whatever you do, where ever you go, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Practice With PURPOSE!

Practice With Purpose

The title that I actually stated on today's podcast for this message was, "Practice, Practice, Practice". However, after getting into the podcast I began to focus on the idea posted above - "Practice With Purpose".

What do I mean and why are we talking about practice?

Everything you do today is practice for tomorrow. That's right! Yes, I know that I always emphasize the fact that "tomorrow" doesn't actually exist and that all we have is today. That is true, BUT we must still prepare ourselves for every "TODAY" that we have, wouldn't you agree?

What is the PURPOSE of practice? Think about it. The PURPOSE of PRACTICE is to work through mistakes and correct them so that you don't make them "in the game".

That being said, we can now relax and understand that it is o.k. to make mistakes as long as we have a PURPOSE and we work to CORRECT those mistakes - make sense?

In today's podcast I share the story of a basketball team that I was on in Jr. High as well as Sr. High. We ran and we ran A LOT! Lap after lap after lap and spent very little time practicing plays, dribbling, etc. I would guess we spent as much time running (if not more) as we did in actual practice. And, guess what? WE WERE TERRIBLE! When we got into a game our ball handling skills were not what they needed to be, our plays didn't work well and, overall, we just didn't seem to know what we were doing.

WHY? Because, in my opinion, our PRACTICE lacked PURPOSE!

Sure, we could run up and down the court all night long with the best of them (and, by the way, we DID do a lot of running up and down the court trying to catch up with the other team!) - but that is not what would allow us to play competitively.

We moved to a different town for my Senior year. New school, new team, new coach and yes, new philosophy!

Guess what? We ran and we ran A LOT! But, guess what else? We won and we WON A LOT! If I remember right, we only lost 3 games that whole year.

What was the difference? At this new school our PRACTICE had PURPOSE!

You see, although we ran as much (if not more) than I did at my old school, very little of it was done with laps and sprints. Most of the running we did was in practice. We practiced FULL COURT (not half court like a lot of teams) so that we would run up and down the court while dribbling the basketball, getting set up to run the play, blocking out to get rebounds and also playing defense. By doing so, when we actually got "in the game" we knew what to do and how to do it and - guess what - we were also in excellent shape and could still run up and down the court all night long!

So it is with each and every one of us every day.

Yes, TODAY is PRACTICE but we must PRACTICE with PURPOSE!

Do NOT allow yourself to just drift through your day and use this "practice" idea as an excuse. "Oh well, Mike said it's o.k. to make mistakes, so I'm alright."

NO!

Again, the PURPOSE of PRACTICE is to learn from and correct those mistakes! We must ALL be learning from and correcting the mistakes that we make TODAY so that we won't make them over and over and over again. This will enable us to experience SUCCESS more often as we move toward our goals and dreams!

Your life has PURPOSE today because you understand and realize that you PRACTICE today with the PURPOSE of improving your tomorrow!

Isn't that AWESOME to think about? Wow!

So, it is up to you! Yes, we will ALL go through the day. We will ALL have the same 24 hours to use (or abuse) and we will ALL come to the end of our day even if at different times of that day.

When you lay your head on the pillow at night you can either feel FULFILLED because you lived a day of PURPOSE or you can feel EMPTY because there was no PURPOSE or direction in your life at all during the day.

What will it be for you?

PRACTICE WITH PURPOSE and, as always...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike