No, I’m not asking because I want us to go pick out curtains together, but rather to point out that if your goal is self improvement, yet your weekend is packed with parties and relaxation, you might need to rethink your strategy.
I’m not saying that you should just work, work, work, and never have any play time. Balance is the key here, but most people are decidedly OFF balance in their self improvement efforts.
During the week you are constantly on the go with the job, the family, the chores, the commute, etc., and you’ll be lucky to get in a solid hour of self improvement time on any given day. However, when the weekend comes, you then try to pack in all of the stuff that you didn’t get done during the week, plus you want to relax, have fun, and unwind.
Well, the relax, have fun, and unwind part is something that should be a part of every day, not just the weekends, but ask yourself honestly how much time are you dedicating each week to your self improvement efforts?
- How much time did you spend reading this week?
- How many hours did you put in working on your business?
- How much work did you do on your educational goals?
- How many times did you exercise?
- How often did you do your affirmations, or your visualizations?
- How much time did you spend meditating?
- How much one-on-one interacting did you do with people that are part of your success plan?
The list could go on and on, but by now you should be getting the picture. Self improvement requires you to actually improve your life, not to just live it. As you approach an hour, a day, or a weekend when you could work towards your goals, it would be a grand idea for you to do just that.
Sure you can go party like a rock star and have a blast, or you could take a well-deserved siesta from your stressful life, and there are times when that is exactly the thing to do. However, it’s not every time.
Sometimes you need to put away your party hat, or your plans to go paint the town red, and plan instead to spend your down time working on yourself and your future, rather than continually taking those “well-deserved” breaks.
If you are trying to improve your life, it’s not break time. It’s time to get down to business.
Now that’s the sort of kick up the bum we all need!
“… when the weekend comes, you then try to pack in all of the stuff that you didn’t get done during the week, plus you want to relax, have fun, and unwind.
Well, the relax, have fun, and unwind part is something that should be a part of every day, not just the weekends …”
I think that statement really sums a lot of people up. Including myself at times!
By working towards your goals just a little bit every day it will have a massive impact on your life in the long run. The common excuse is that we don’t have enough time. Wake up 30 minutes earlier, watch less television and plan your time better (I recommend scheduling your entire day)… it’s easy to make a few extra minutes every day to improve yourself or work towards your goals.
Consistency is most certainly the key.
Great post, Aaron.
Gary
Gary,
It’s funny, because EXCUSE is exactly what it boils down to. There is always a way to carve out time to take at least small steps towards our goals every day.
As you indicated, though, consistency is the key. Just making an occasional effort is not enough to effect long-term changes, and it isn’t enough to develop a habit, either.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Gary!
Kicking our butts, are you…LOL? I’m glad to report that I’ve long put away my party hats and pubbing days! A weekend well spent for me is attending self improvement workshops, reading books and connecting with like minded friends. And so yes….I totally agree with you 🙂
Evelyn
Hey, Evelyn!
Oh, I still have my party hat, and I wear it frequently, but I also make sure that my success habits and my goal attainment tasks have all been tended to first.
Right now it’s a Saturday morning, and I could be parked on the couch watching TV, but instead I am responding to comments from my valued readers, and learning from what other people have to offer. That is much more valuable on a personal and professional level than watching cartoons. 🙂
Kudos, Aaron, for another ‘bang-on’ post!
I was at my parents’ over the weekend, and late one evening I was reading a fantastic book about financial goals and the rituals of the wealthy. Because I KNOW I don’t know it all, and wanted to refine and re-check my goals, I was writing furiously, following some of the examples given in the book.
In the morning, my Dad asked me what I had been doing, and I told him I was writing out and working on my goals…I got a blank stare and a bit of a smirk in response. He didn’t mean anything by it…it’s just a foreign thing to him and he doesn’t have any idea what I’m talking about, or of the power of self-direction.
Either you live this way, or you don’t! Either you control the direction of change in your life, or you continually react to what appear to be outside forces.
Even in the most mundane moments I ask myself what I can best be doing with my time…for instance I was waiting for the garbage truck yesterday and decided to meditate while waiting. While supervising my daughter and her friends at the park over the weekend, I walked around the square several times for exercise. It’s all a matter of choice – of choosing to live what we say we want.
Life doesn’t stop over the weekends; in fact for many people who work a classic work week, it is their prime opportunity to consider and introduce changes into their lives.
Thanks again, and success to you as always!
Shauna
Shauna,
You are such an inspiration to me! Every time I start to think that I am the only person who does the type of stuff you wrote about, you come along and remind me that I’m not alone! 🙂
I have had many discussions with people about how I am able to “turn off” once I am done with something, and then immediately flow into something else. You don’t have to wait until you have 5 years with nothing planned before you start improving your life!
As you indicated, it can be done in just a few moment’s time, or it can boil down to nothing more than good time management.
You are absolutely right, Shauna – life does NOT stop on the weekends, and thank you so much for adding such a great point of view to this conversation.
All of my best to you, Shauna!