Inspiration

Stop Putting It Off!

Accomplishing that one thing you know you should do

Who hasn’t put off something we know we should do? We delay it to tomorrow and do so day after day, week after week, and year after year. If you are like most of us, you have done it dozens of times. Why do we do this? The reality is waiting until it’s too late is part of the human condition.

What can you do? Plenty! Read on to learn more.

Putting things off

One of our founding fathers made a simple yet profound statement in the 1700s:

“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

If we could live by his words, life would improve. A big part of the problem is we have too much to do, or so it seems. Why? In part because we become slaves to the things we own. The more we own, the greater our enslavement.

If you have a house, you have ongoing upkeep. If you have a car or two or four, you have ongoing maintenance, cleaning, places to go, and people to see! If you have a boat, a set of golf clubs… Well, you get the idea.

The problem is we are not committed to doing whatever it is. How can we be committed to anything in today’s fast-paced society? There’s always tomorrow, isn’t there? One can hope. As another wise man said:

“Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.” George C. Lorimer (1838–1904)

Could anything contain more truth than that statement? If something can wait one day, it will most likely wait longer. That does make it harder to get started, and the more time we allow to pass, the more difficult it becomes.

What is important to you?

What lies behind this tendency to put things off is not just procrastination but the way we value our time. As Goethe said many years ago:

“Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)

While money is a different subject, it does tie into everything in modern life. The more important thing Goethe points out is how little we value our time until little is left. That is a very sobering thought!

Believe me; you do not want to get to the end of your life with a great deal of regret that you didn’t do such and such when you had time. You had the time; you just had other priorities. I hate to break it to you, but it must not have been that important; otherwise, you would have done it!

In life, it is clear we can do anything we want when we make up our minds and commit to it. We will make the time for it even when none is available. It happens all the time with love and romance. Let me explain.

You can make the time if you want

Two years after my wife passed at 51 years old, I met Jane, who I am now married to. I never thought I would fall in love again. But fall in love, I did. And hard!

As busy as I was at work, I made time for Jane. It was so exciting I could work like a madman for days on end while finding plenty of time to spend with my new love. Who needs sleep when you are in love?

I learned from our romance and eventual marriage that I could make time for anything important. There is little on this earth that can stop two people in love, including time. Love is downright intoxicating!

And yet, I had one more lesson to learn. I had wanted to write a book for many years before I met Jane but had never put any real effort into it. When I finally retired, I thought I would have time to write my book. I went so far as to hire a book writing coach (which I highly recommend) and outlined the book. With this outline in hand came the hard part — writing it.

Wouldn’t you know it, that pesky old thing called life got in the way again! I would write off and on, but more off than on, which continued for some time. I was enjoying a life of working out, running in many races, attending a local university to become a coach, and winning new clients — all after retiring!

Then the big event came. I had four successive massive heart attacks in one day. I came very close to dying several times in the following weeks and spent 55 days in intensive care. What excuse would I make up next to avoid writing?

While it took nearly two years for the fog in my brain to lift, I finally made my mind up to write every day until I finished the book. It was published and continues selling well years after my health crisis!

Obviously, I had not placed the book high enough on my priority list to get it done until I almost died. Today, I can say I am thankful for that wake-up call! Writing the book started me on another new career in these retirement years: writing. I have published over a thousand articles and have plenty left in me!

“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.” William Shakespeare (1564–1615)

Moving from wanting to doing to done

What is it you want to accomplish in life? Is it to write a book, go on that extended vacation to places you have dreamed about, save, and invest enough money to retire early? What is that thing you know you must do before it is too late?

When you identify it, ask yourself, “What can I do to increase my sense of urgency to work on it every day until I finish it?”

Until you develop this sense of urgency, which can be bound to an intense desire, commitment, passion, or love, you will not make it a priority and fail to achieve it. You don’t want to fail at something so important, do you?

What will it take to live a life with fewer regrets and avoid the remorse of putting such a thing off until there is no more time? Had I died, my biggest regret would have been not leaving the legacy of my book. Don’t wait until you have a near-death experience before you do what is in your heart.

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)

Final thoughts

If you are in your 20s or 30s, you may think you have plenty of time ahead. Let me tell you a little secret: you may or may not have as much as you think. Too many people die far too young, never having accomplished what they desired in their hearts.

Regardless of age, no one knows precisely when they will die, so why take the risk? Why not do what it is you need to do? Whether you live only one day or a hundred years, consider how that accomplishment can and will impact your life and legacy!

If it sounds like I am pleading with you to do whatever you know you should do, I am!

“Every moment is the paradox of now or never.” Simon Van Booy (1975-present)

Find a way to develop your sense of urgency to gain the drive and energy needed to start and not stop until it is complete. Spend time identifying the good things this achievement will create for you and others to enhance your desire further.

If it takes a day, a year, or a decade, plan it out and commit the time to make it happen. Ultimately, you will have one less regret and another significant accomplishment, making it all worthwhile!

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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