If Not Now, When?
By Jean Marie Herron
Here's what happens to most people's New Year's Resolutions...They set a goal and then don't follow it up with an action plan. Two important skills for achieving any successful endeavor are making a plan and taking action.
So the question you always want to ask yourself when you want to accomplish anything is "If I can't or won't do it now, when will I do it?" Your answer should then immediately be written down in your planner so you have given a safe home for your tasks or ideas.
JM's PERSONAL EXAMPLE:
GOAL: This year I want to became a good West Coast Swing Dancer
QUESTION: "If not now, when?"
- On December 21st I will sign up for WCS lessons every Monday night at Rhythm in Shoes in Boonton for their 6-week group lessons starting in January.
- I will take notes during/after each class and review them daily along with 10 minutes of daily footwork practice.
- Based on the studio's calendar I will go to one Saturday social a month.
- I will continue my Wednesday night Hustle lessons when possible and monthly social at DKN Dance concentrating on incorporating my new WCS skills into my general dancing.
- For Valentine's Day I will ask for another six-week series of lessons.
- For my anniversary in March I will ask for another six-week series of lessons.
- I will attend the World Hustle Championship dance event again this summer only this time I will take all WCS lessons during the workshops.
So now I have a plan but I need to take action. I need to call the studio and sign up and pay for my lessons. I need to ask my husband for his help on Monday nights so I can get out of the house in time to drive to the dance studio while he covers the children. I need to choose the socials and plug them into my calendar again ensuring that people at home are taken care of first.
I must say that I'm well on my way to being a good swing dancer just by writing this all down here in a newsletter to you. (Hint, Hint!) Just putting it on paper clarifies my goals and births the process of visualization. I can see myself now on the main ballroom floor during a dance social where I'm no longer self-conscious about my West Coast Swing dancing but actually loving every three-minute song that the DJ plays. Now when a gentleman asks me to dance I no longer say, "Oh, well if you'll put up with me, I don't do this dance very well." Instead I now answer, "Absolutely, I'd love to."
"When you consider how helpful planning can be in increasing your productivity and performance, it is amazing how few people practice it every single day. And planning is really quite simple to do. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen. The most sophisticated Palm Pilot, computer program, or time planner is based on the same principle. It is based on your sitting down and making a list of everything you have to do before you begin."
~ Brian Tracy, Eat That Frog!
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At POSSE Partners, LLC (Professional Organizing Solutions Serving Everyone) we cater to homeowners who want one-on-one help with their organizing endeavors whether it's their space, papers or time. Besides transferring these organizing skills to our clients, we also hold organizing classes called Clutter Corrals, have a monthly forum for supporting each other called POSSE's Pen and we also give organizing presentations as well. To learn more about the author and owner, Jean Marie Herron, and sign up for her free newsletter go to www.POSSEPartnersLLC.com.
