A friend of mine and I were talking about growing up, and he was telling me about playing on his high school basketball team. He recalled one player with lots of potential, who just never seemed to get anywhere.
Curious, I asked why. He told me; "He never really put his head in the game. Some days when he felt like it, he played a great game and gave his all. But other days, he just didn't care enough to give the effort. There was always a reason... he didn't feel well, too stressed, problems with his girlfriend, and so on."
As we talked, I realized that he had probably passed up the opportunity to play college ball. Instead, he's now working at a restaurant not far from my neighborhood, a respectable living but far from his potential.
How many people do you know like this - lots of potential, but sometimes lacking the followthrough? Or another question - would anyone you know read this and think of you?
It's easy to get caught up in life's issues and forget what our ultimate goals are. It feels like there's not enough hours in the day or enough energy in your body to do everything you'd like. But sometimes, it's a convenient excuse for why we're not doing what we know we should.
It's always easier to say "I'm too busy" than to take the extra step, to say "I'll get around to it later" than making the time. Like my old highschool friend, we're not fooling anyone but ourselves. We're also trading away our future for these little excuses.
A serious plan always includes immediate action. There is always something that can be done, right now, to improve any situation. You may not be able to start your own business today or get in perfect shape tomorrow, but you can start teaching yourself how.
A plan without action is just admitting that you need to do something... but you're not going to do it.
Get in the game. Every day is an opportunity to move ahead, or lose ground to those who are competing with you. Make a list of the things that you've been putting off, meaning to change, or thinking about doing. Then, for each item, think of something you can do today to get started. You'll sleep a lot better once you do.
If right now, you're reading this article and thinking, "Yeah, I should probably do that sometime", maybe you should read it again. Think about the choice that you're making if you don't do anything... and the choice you're making if you do. Make up your mind to get in the game... not tomorrow, but today.
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The Leader's Survival Guide is daily insight for young men and women to inspire better living. Provided by Jonathan Carter of The Baltimore Renaissance Foundation, a nonprofit youth leadership organization in Baltimore, MD
Posted By: Jon C.
Thursday, February 8th 2007 at 3:17PM
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