I’m really enjoying writing this series of posts further explaining the ideas in my latest career success coach book, Success Tweets: 140 Bits of Common Sense Career Success Advice, All in 140 Characters or Less. I hope you’re enjoying reading them. I’m pleased to say that Success Tweets is now in its second printing. You can pick up a copy at your local book store, or online at Amazon.com. Better yet, you can download the eBook for free at http://www.successtweets.com.
Today’s career advice comes from Tweet 86…
Stay focused. Don’t get distracted. Treat time as the precious commodity that it is. Manage your time and life well.
The other day I saw a great quote from Margaret Thatcher…
“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.”
Ole’ Iron Maggie really nailed it with this one. I like this quote because it’s great career advice that gets at the essence of committing to managing your time and life. One way to demonstrate your commitment to your success is managing your time and life. Only you can make you a success. You must be willing to do the things necessary to succeed. To do all the things necessary you need to manage your time well and react positively to the negative stuff that happens as you move forward toward your goals.
Those days in which you have a lot to do, and you get it all done, are not only satisfying; they demonstrate your commitment to your success, and help strengthen that commitment. I’m writing this on a plane on Friday night. It’s about 8:00 in the evening. I’ve been up since 5:00 because I needed to finish an important project for a client before I attended an all day workshop with my internet marketing mentor and business partner. I’ve had a full, but very satisfying, day. And, as Ms. Thatcher points out, one in which I feel a sense of supreme satisfaction.
I’ve demonstrated to myself that I’m willing to do the things necessary to succeed. More important, I’ve managed my time in a manner that resulted in me finishing everything I needed to do today.
A while back I had a bout with the flu. It left me feeling weak and tired. I spent all of a Monday afternoon and a good part of Tuesday morning in bed. It couldn’t be helped. I needed to get my strength back. By Tuesday afternoon, I was feeling physically better, but emotionally drained. I felt as if I hadn’t moved forward toward my goals. I didn’t get anything done for about 24 hours – and I hated it. But I also realized that staying in bed to recuperate was the best use of my time those two days.
When it comes to managing my time and life I agree not only with Maggie Thatcher, but with George Bernard Shaw, my favorite playwright…
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
I want my life to be a splendid torch that burns long and brightly. How about you? Do you revel in hard work and accomplishing everything you can? Or do you prefer those days Maggie Thatcher describes as one in which you “lounge around doing nothing”? If you revel in hard work, you’ll be focused. You’ll treat time as the precious and non renewable resource it is and you’ll succeed.
The common sense career success coach point here is simple. Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for the creating the successful life and career they want and deserve. They set high goals – and do whatever it takes to accomplish them. They react positively to the people and events in their lives – especially the negative people and events. They relish the days when they have a lot to do, and then go on and do it. They get great satisfaction from working hard and seeing the results of their labor. They follow the career advice in Tweet 86 in Success Tweets. “Stay focused. Don’t get distracted. Treat time as the precious commodity that it is. Manage your time and life well.” When was the last day when you were truly busy? How did you feel at the end of it? If you’re an achiever – someone who is committed to your career and life success, I bet you felt exhilarated and ready to go the next day. That’s how I feel most days, and I’m proud of it.
That’s my take on the career advice in Success Tweet 86. What’s yours? Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us. As always, thanks for reading.
Bud
Bud: Yet another great message, simple yet very important for all of us to keep in mind. I sent it along to my daughter who starts her third year of college today, as these messages know no age or time limit, but rather serve as a core of what makes a difference in those who adhere to them.
Enjoy your week.
Michael Byl