‘I have so much to do and so little time.’
‘I just had a brilliant idea!’
‘I have so many ideas and I don’t know how to do them all.’ ‘
This team is working so hard but it seems like there is no end in sight.’
Are you getting discouraged because of something you have been working on? Have you felt like you are putting in so much effort into a job and your boss/lecturer/team mates are just demanding more from you for no reason? Do you sometimes feel like there is so much you want to do and you don’t know where to start? I know that feeling. From as far back as I can remember, I have always had journals where I list every brilliant business idea that I thought of (I know someone reading this has some of those). After a while, I started storing them on my laptop but I would always wonder how I would fulfill all of my divergent dreams. That was how I learnt to ‘Sit Down’.
A garden has many plants, growing at different rates and at different stages. They may not all have been planted at the same time and so they need different types of care at every given time: Question 1: A forest and a garden both contain plants and trees that are growing, so what sets them apart? Answer: A Plan
If you are not growing according to a plan, you are growing nowhere – John Maxwell
Question 2: What prevents a garden from growing into a forest? Answer: Continuous pruning to keep it in line with plan
You cannot Check Milestones if you do not know where you are going’ – Ukinebo Dare
Question 3: What would happen to a gardener if he keeps pruning a garden every day without any idea of what the owner is trying to achieve or why the garden is important? Answer: (You can answer this question after reading) a garden every day without any idea of what the owner is trying to achieve or why the garden is important? Answer: (You can answer this question after reading)
Every once in a while, you need to stop and compare where you were yesterday to where you are today. If you don’t do that you might not see how much you have grown/learnt/achieved. When you do that, half of the job is done. You must also compare where you are today with where you are going to. In order to do this effectively, the most important thing you need is: A Plan. To prevent getting discouraged, feeling lost, or making progress without a sense of fulfillment it is important to do this frequently:
SIT DOWN and review your goals (as a team, as an individual and even as an organization). Rediscover what you are working towards and what you want to achieve in the short term, medium term and long term.
Do not just be all work and no play. At regular intervals, SIT DOWN and celebrate your progress. Reflect on how far you have come. Celebrate yourself and those you work with.
SIT DOWN and make a plan: Do not just expect that life will lead you naturally to what is best for you. Be specific about how you want to achieve your goals, meet your target, get promoted or build your finances.
SIT DOWN and review your plan. Do not be stuck on the first plan you have. You need to keep measuring your progress and updating and editing your plan. Sometimes you might end up even editing your goals. 15 minutes a day will keep discouragement away. You can get it from your sleep time, TV time or Facebook time. You can even do it during your traffic time or take it from your midnight call time. Don’t keep moving without reminding yourself of where you are moving to. It is good to Work It, Upgrade You and Check Milestones but it is important that you do all of this according to a plan. If you don’t have one, get a pen and paper, find some quiet time and…SIT DOWN
