Deadlines! Love them or hate them, they help us get things done. Right? As I am writing today, I notice that the end of the month is upon us and I think about all the things I had hoped to accomplish in March, as well as 1st quarter. Yep, it’s over guys, 2019 is one-fourth done! __________________________________ Definition of Deadline:
dead·line /ˈdedˌlīn/Submit noun plural noun: deadlines 1. the latest time or date by which something should be completed. "the deadline for submissions is February 5th"
synonyms: time limit, limit, finishing date, finishing time, target date, target time, cutoff point "they stipulated a deadline for the army's withdrawal" 2. HISTORICAL a line drawn around a prison beyond which prisoners were liable to be shot. ___________________________________________________________
Well, isn’t that historical definition interesting? Merriam-Webster actually has this definition listed as #1. I wonder if there is still such a line in our prison system. I digress… What motivates you to actually get things done? I am curious about how many of you are deadline driven (with or without the threat of bodily harm via gunshot!). What inspires you to strive toward your personal goals or the goals of your job/business/organization?
I used to think that it would be helpful to be motivated by some external force and that I could also effectively motivate others. PLEASE PLEASE…. MOTIVATE ME! However, I have learned that I often have a poor reaction to someone or something imposing “motivation” on me. In fact, not one of my better qualities, I may even do the opposite just to assert my free will! I have found that I much prefer to be inspired into action. Let’s face it, inspired action is just a lot more fun. It’s an “I get to_____” instead of an “I have to_____” mentality. We want to have fun with our work!
Inspiration doesn’t always happen on its own. On my every day “to do” list i have at least 15 minutes of meditation and 20 minutes of “fill your tank” good information. That 20 minutes might be one of my company’s training calls or something inspiring that I find on YouTube. Every day that I do this it feels like I just flow thru my day, connecting in the right ways, attracting good people and good things. I have also eliminated some things. I rarely watch the news and try to avoid people, topics, places and things that make me feel bad. If there is a situation or issue that is out of my control, there is no reason for me to spend any time worrying about or debating it. Some may say my head is in the sand, but I know if there is news that requires my attention it will find me. Until then I cannot attract inspiration, good people or good things if I am absorbing and sharing negativity.
When inspiration doesn’t happen on its own, the deadline is kind-of a contingency for me. I can always count on the deadline to “motivate” me and hopefully I get to an inspired place once I put the pen to paper. As I said before, I would love to hear back from you about what inspires you to get things accomplished and how well you are doing closing out the first quarter of 2019. Please connect with me!