I want to recommend the joys of failure for a moment.
Several people responded to a recent post where I
mentioned that for many years I've read at least an hour a
day. They told me that seemed "impossible", or words to
that effect. Well.
Almost every day for the past 25 years, I've read for at
least an hour, and I try to do more than that. One of my
goals this year was to read a book a week, but so far, I'm
failing. I've fallen behind and may not catch up by
December 31st. We are in the 3rd week of the year, and so
far I've read only 1 book. I'm such a failure!
And yet, while I am "failing" to
reach my goal, I would claim my life, my business, my
skills and my world are richer. At this rate, I just may
"fail my way to success", and that's not too shabby!
Why all this focus on reading? Because I truly believe we
create our lives exactly the way we want them.
I know, in the rush of real life, it doesn't seem that way.
Stuff happens. The boss needs a report, the kids need a
ride to soccer. Someone has to fix dinner, That's reality for
most of us.
And yet, over time, we make choices and we create a life.
We gradually simplify, or we pile commitment on top of
commitment. We manage well, or we manage badly. We make a
thousand decisions and time passes, and slowly, over a five-
year period, we create our lives.
I chose that five year time-frame intentionally. I do not
want to suggest that our lives are created in an instant,
or that we should change them on a whim, because life
doesn't work that way. Life is a series of mid-course
corrections. We learn stuff. Times change. We change.
Life evolves.
And all those choices and changes are reflected in our
daily lives. A man with no time for exercise has a heart
attack, and suddenly finds the time. Someone with no time
for dating meets someone special, and priorities change. A
couple in debt for 20 years suddenly "get" the need to
save, and habits change.
We exercise, or we don't. We spend beyond our means, or we
save a little each month. We have time for romance, or
we're too tired. We read to our kids, or we don't.
One of my clients decided to change her priorities, her
activities and her life, and chose climbing the highest
peak in North America as her benchmark. She trained. She
saved. She got time off work, she became an expert
climber. And when the time came, storms kept everyone at
base camp, so she "failed". Yeah, right! With failures
like that on your bio, think where you could end up!
We create the lives we truly want. My challenge is for you
to clarify your major priorities, say them out loud and
write them down. Share them with friends and family, and
make sure the language is perfect. Then, through the weeks
and months, stay true to them. Come back to them. Keep
moving in the direction you want to go. And, if I fail,
and only read 45 or 50 books this year, you can celebrate
that even the Coach "failed".
So, how many books have you read this year?
Several people responded to a recent post where I
mentioned that for many years I've read at least an hour a
day. They told me that seemed "impossible", or words to
that effect. Well.
Almost every day for the past 25 years, I've read for at
least an hour, and I try to do more than that. One of my
goals this year was to read a book a week, but so far, I'm
failing. I've fallen behind and may not catch up by
December 31st. We are in the 3rd week of the year, and so
far I've read only 1 book. I'm such a failure!
And yet, while I am "failing" to
reach my goal, I would claim my life, my business, my
skills and my world are richer. At this rate, I just may
"fail my way to success", and that's not too shabby!
Why all this focus on reading? Because I truly believe we
create our lives exactly the way we want them.
I know, in the rush of real life, it doesn't seem that way.
Stuff happens. The boss needs a report, the kids need a
ride to soccer. Someone has to fix dinner, That's reality for
most of us.
And yet, over time, we make choices and we create a life.
We gradually simplify, or we pile commitment on top of
commitment. We manage well, or we manage badly. We make a
thousand decisions and time passes, and slowly, over a five-
year period, we create our lives.
I chose that five year time-frame intentionally. I do not
want to suggest that our lives are created in an instant,
or that we should change them on a whim, because life
doesn't work that way. Life is a series of mid-course
corrections. We learn stuff. Times change. We change.
Life evolves.
And all those choices and changes are reflected in our
daily lives. A man with no time for exercise has a heart
attack, and suddenly finds the time. Someone with no time
for dating meets someone special, and priorities change. A
couple in debt for 20 years suddenly "get" the need to
save, and habits change.
We exercise, or we don't. We spend beyond our means, or we
save a little each month. We have time for romance, or
we're too tired. We read to our kids, or we don't.
One of my clients decided to change her priorities, her
activities and her life, and chose climbing the highest
peak in North America as her benchmark. She trained. She
saved. She got time off work, she became an expert
climber. And when the time came, storms kept everyone at
base camp, so she "failed". Yeah, right! With failures
like that on your bio, think where you could end up!
We create the lives we truly want. My challenge is for you
to clarify your major priorities, say them out loud and
write them down. Share them with friends and family, and
make sure the language is perfect. Then, through the weeks
and months, stay true to them. Come back to them. Keep
moving in the direction you want to go. And, if I fail,
and only read 45 or 50 books this year, you can celebrate
that even the Coach "failed".
So, how many books have you read this year?
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