A world-class violinist was interviewed and was asked what her secret was. She replied, "planned neglect". She explained that as a child, she had always wanted to be a concert violinist. But her chores, like doing the dishes, laundry, and sweeping, always got in the way. Everyday she'll do these chores and by the time she sat down to practice, she's already tired and aching all over. Finally, she decided to neglect these chores. She would focus on the most important (important means that which will lead you to your goal) thing first and that is to practice violin. Everyday she practiced. Only after her practice did she do her chores. And that is her secret.
How about you? Is there anything that you've been prioritizing over your dreams? Exercise "planned neglect".
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LET GO OF THE THINGS THAT KEEP YOU FROM YOUR ULTIMATE GOOD
by Lisa Jimenez, M.Ed.
"It's an offer I can't refuse," I told Randy during one of the
Mastermind Conference Calls. I was just offered a principal position
at a local Christian pre-school and had all these wonderful visions
of what it would be like...
I pictured the students, learning and growing under my direction. I
saw myself giving a smile and a hug to each one as they walked into
class every morning. I heard the teachers sharing their ideas with me
on how we could make our school better. I felt the parents patting me
on the back and shaking my hand in congratulations to a job well
done...
My thoughts were interrupted with Randy's voice over the other end of
the phone. "This isn't what you're supposed to be doing," he
lamented. "You are a professional speaker." I replied with the strong
argument that this might just be the time for me to get back to my
first career, which was teaching, and use my degree in school
leadership. I began sharing my vision of being a principal with him.
It was a waste of breath. Randy wasn't buying it. When I told him I
could do both, he went through an exhausting explanation of how I was
just getting seduced by the dark side of a regular paycheck. After a
couple of hours (actually it was only a few minutes), it was someone
else's turn, and I closed with the promise to think more about it
before making a decision.
That weekend, I was giving a presentation for the National Speakers
Association on how to build their speaking businesses.
Something strange, almost Super Natural, happened at that convention.
First, when I walked into the hotel, I noticed that there were two
conventions being held that weekend. One was for the Speakers
Association and the other for the Principals Association! .
Through out my entire stay, my conversations were either with a
speaker or a principal. The principals I talked with brought back
memories of why I left teaching. I remembered the bureaucracy
involved in the educational system. I was reminded of the mounds of
paperwork and long work hours. (I guess I forgot that part.) It
seemed that every time I talked with a principal they would ask me
how they, too, could get into professional speaking.
The other altering experience occurred during my presentation. In the
middle of my talk, a lady raised her hand with a question. "What do
you do when you are torn between two careers?" she asked. "Do you
think I can be successful in the speaking business if I'm working on
another career?" Her question shocked me. (To this day, I think Randy
must have set her up!) But what surprised me even more was my
response to her. It was as though God was speaking to her through me
and at the same time directing the answer - with great precision -
right to my heart.
"You can't serve two masters," I replied. "One will always suck the
energy from the other." The next thing I knew I was telling my
audience about the principal opportunity and how I was coming to
realize a liberating truth: I need to have the courage to let go of
things that keep me from my ultimate good.
What about you?
How committed are you to your business? If you were to rate your
commitment level on a scale of 1 -10 what number would you give
yourself? And, are you happy with that number?
If not, then why not? What is keeping you from really jumping in with
both feet and dedicating yourself to building your business?
What's stopping you from giving it all you've got and building the
kick-butt organization you know you want?!
For the rest of the speech I spent time in deep confession, as both
teacher and student talked about a tough subject. It's called
pruning. Just like the gardener who must cut away dead, unproductive
parts of a plant, we need to cut away bad habits, dead-end
activities, negative people, and even tempting opportunities that
keep us from our ultimate good.
These dead "leaves" in our lives block the "sun" from coming in and
nourishing our true destiny.
Do you, like me, need more sun to reach your business? Then cut away
some dead leaves like disorganization, procrastination, and even
tempting opportunities that keep you from your ultimate good.
Do you, like me, need more sun to reach your key relationships? Then
cut away some dead leaves like TV watching or a critical tongue.
Do you, like me, need more sun to reach your physical health? Then
cut away some dead leaves like sleeping in too late or laziness.
Do you, like me, need more sun to reach your attitude? Then cut away
some dead leaves like negative people and negative thinking.
Let's be honest, pruning, or cutting away, hurts! It wasn't easy for
me to decline that principal position. It may not be easy for you to
cut out your bad habits, negative thinking, critical tongue, or any
of the other dead leaves that are blocking the sun from your success.
But when you have the courage to cut away parts of your life that
drain precious time and energy from what's truly important, you
liberate yourself by making room for abundance!
"Have the courage to let go of the things that keep you from your
ultimate good."
I will not be experiencing what it's like to be a principal of a
school. However, I'm having an outrageous time experiencing great
success in my speaking career. I am truly amazed at the rapid success
I've experienced since I've made the effort to get rid of those
things that were holding me back. The bottom line, my friend, is all
it takes to make it BIG in your business is all you've got. Give it
all you've got today!
Richest blessings,
Lisa Jimenez M.Ed.