Learning the Lesson... Again!

Several months ago I learned a valuable lesson about distraction. I had gotten myself so ‘busy’ that I was missing out on the things that were the most important. While caregiving for my Uncle Wayne, I learned this lesson in a very personal and fulfilling way, so I assumed that it would naturally stick with me; there was no way I’d ever get so bogged down again, that I’d miss the important things.

Fast-forward six months, and somehow, I found myself, and my schedule in a similar situation to where I was before Uncle Wayne came to live with me. I realized that I was spending more than half my time at networking and business development events. Also, and equally important, I was spending a lot of money on advertising services that weren’t our core business. I was so busy with the short-term goals that I was missing out on the long-term opportunities. Déjà vu!

I reread my thoughts in ‘Blessing of Distraction’ and remembered that I had redeveloped my company’s Strategic Plan. So, it took me a half-hour of searching, but finally found that Strategic Plan, in a binder, on the bottom shelf of my bookcase. I read through it and rewrote some of the goals and action plans to make them more specific. I’m keeping that Strategic Plan posted on the wall by my desk. “Out of sight, out of mind…” - that’s a lesson I won’t have to learn again!

Another crucial change: I needed to limit my networking activities, which had, once again, taken over my schedule. I am back to just one per week. Also, I’m combining lunch with business meetings, so I can accomplish two things at once.

One of the most important things I did was put a picture of Uncle Wayne on my desk. He’s wearing a bright yellow shirt and a great big smile. He sits next to my computer screen, so I always see him smiling at me from the corner of my eye. After all, it was he who taught me the ‘Blessing of Distraction’ in the first place. It seems only right that he should be at my side to keep me on track.

So, once again, I have learned to refocus on the long-term goal. Don’t let everything else get in the way or you’ll miss your golden opportunity!