by Sunny Simon
Each year as the end of daylight savings time approaches I always feel like doing a happy dance. The idea of turning back the clock is so appealing. Since most of us are always racing against time, to be gifted with an extra hour to do anything our heart desires is pure bliss. Over the years I’ve found creative ways to enjoy those extra 60 minutes. At the end of the day, I always experience an extra boost of fulfillment.
This year I blew it! I ended up doing nothing but staying in bed practicing laziness. I could excuse myself if I were exhausted and needed the extra snooze time, but to the contrary I found myself eyes-wide-open awake.
How did it happen that I failed to utilize the hour to accomplish a task or even joyfully and mindfully soak in the quiet of daybreak? As a student of time management I can tell you in three words…failure to plan. When you are not intentional with time and energy nothing happens. This fact is illustrated by my favorite Chinese proverb: “Talk does not cook rice.”
As a life and career coach I spend countless hours helping clients get to the finish line by continual prodding with one simple question. “When will you do that?” is my constant refrain. This query prompts the individual to schedule the activity. Once an action is firmly planted on the calendar, the success rate is exponentially increased.
Designing a goal is easy but it is important to understand there is a price to be paid on the way to achievement. In order to accomplish our life dreams, we must be willing to pay the price in effort, action, sacrifice and time. Whiling away one hour may seem like a minuscule incident, but in comparison, think of how much you can accomplish in an hour. The path to the goal line is lined with bite-sized action items many of which can be knocked off in 60 minutes or less.
On Sunday night as I bade farewell to the day, I experienced a gentle disappointment for missing the experience of that extra hour. Next year will not catch me in lethargic nothingness. When I sacrifice the hour as we spring ahead, I’ll hatch a plan to recoup that time wisely. I’ve learned from Ben Franklin who first conceived of daylight savings time in 1784 that “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching. More about Sunny at www.raisethebarhigh.com
