Have you ever had some kind of project or chore you just didn’t want to do? Sure, we all have that on an almost daily basis. Maybe it’s doing dishes, cleaning the garage, doing taxes, or some school project that just doesn’t excite you at all. Maybe it’s looking for a job or starting a business something holds you back and puts you in a state of inaction because circumstances aren’t demanding you do it right now.
Dale Carnegie, the self-improvement author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” said this:
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
One of my father’s mottos I remember was “do something every day that you don’t want to do and you’ll be a better person for it.”
Have you noticed that when you finally get started on something it becomes easier to keep moving? Sometimes you don’t want to stop. It was hard to start it but now that you’re going you may have a desire to finish because you have a desire to see it finished (or maybe don’t want the pain of having to start it again later).
Discuss: Share 1 thing you’ve been putting off. Everyone make a commitment to do 1 thing on that project. If it’s a big project, make a commitment to just do 1 small thing every day to move it forward. Those tiny efforts will add up to completing the project even in just minutes a day.
If you want to be more successful, keep a log of the 1 thing you do every day until it becomes a habit. Those days of action will add up into building your character into someone who finishes things.
(image by Olivier Le Moal @ 123rf.com)
I have to tell you, Oak, that these dinner discussions are so awesome that I don’t have words to explain how I feel about them. I am giving them to all my children since they (dinner discussions) come too late for me to use while raising my children, but will benefit them and their children and their children’s children immensely. (I am 84 and still learning.) We ALWAYS ate dinner at the same time each day (5:00 p.m.) and no one left the table until all were finished and they were excused. These discussions would have added tons of great conversations and experiences, and the ability for my children to prepare better for and understand life. Thank you so much for being inspired to share these with everyone interested. Your work, including Utah Against Common Core, is inspired indeed. You are appreciated. Onward and upward!!!!!
Thanks Myrleen. That’s very kind of you and it sounds like you set a good example for your children.