You Can Do Anything - But You Can't Do Everything

I am truly grateful that the term popularized a few years ago “I want to have it all” has begun to fall out of our vocabulary. We have at least come to realize that we really can’t have it all. Yet, while we have recognized this in our lives, most of us have not figured out that not only can we not have it all, but we also can not do it all.

As I continue the discussion of Objectives I want to spend some time today on helping you to understand the processes that takes place when anything is accomplished. Everything we do begins with a thought. This bears repeating for emphasis. Everything we do begins with a thought. This is basic common sense. Each of us has told someone in our lives that they should think about their actions before they do something. As common as this thinking is, the practice is uncommon. We just have not been taught that we must really think about everything before we take action. So much of what we do is in response to the things that are facing us each day whether it is the work on our desk, laundry to be done, or a house to clean. We do most of these things as a reaction with little or often no real thought to the desired outcome. Management guru Peter Drucker writing about knowledge workers says “In knowledge work the task is not given, it has to be determined”. To quote Drucker further, he says that we must consider “What are the expected results from this work?” While these ideas make clear sense in the business world, most of us do not apply proven principles to our personal lives, and a great number of us do not even apply these principles in our professional lives.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “The ancestor of every action is a thought”. Unfortunately, for the things that should really matter in our lives, we stop at the thought. And, for most of us, we have that same thought from time to time over and over again. I like the comment of personal productivity guru David Allen in his book “Getting Things Done”. Allen says, “There is no reason ever to have the same thought twice, unless you like having that thought”. We can change this pattern by establishing our objectives in writing.

By now most of us have already broken our New Years resolutions. The problem with resolutions is that they are usually not written, they do not have a “because” related to them, and they are not based on sound principles. Starting today you are going to change all of that. I want you to commit to an exercise that will begin the process of focusing your mind on the things you want that really matter in your life. This exercise will require just ten minutes of your time, but must be accomplished while you are not distracted. It is perhaps best to do this alone in a room if you can. First, put on a CD of your favorite music. Something that relaxes you, but not something that makes you sing or dance. Next, get a pen, a note pad, and a simple kitchen timer. Set the timer for ten minutes. Find a comfortable place to sit and write. When you have found this place I want you to start the timer and spend the next ten minutes writing non-stop. What is important is that you write without stopping. Write whatever comes to your mind such as “I don’t know what to write”, or “this is really stupid”. If you persist and write for the full ten minutes your inner thoughts and desires will become apparent.

Tomorrow we will talk about what to do next with your written objectives.

The beginning is half of every action – Greek Proverb