How’s it going with your New Year’s Resolution(s)?  Did you make one or more for 2016?  If you did, is that aspiration still active in your life, or have you already relegated it to the dustbin of best intentions?  If you are still struggling to “make the time” to work on it, and since we are still just barely in January, I have something to share that will help you salvage it and make forward progress. .

This week I had the good fortune to meet Steve McClatchy, as he delivered an inspirational – and aspirational – presentation to our leadership team at our annual forum.  His practical ideas and energy are infectious, as he passionately shares his insights on human behavior and achievement.  I won’t endeavor to tell his story here (as it would require a book – see below!), but I will delve into one central idea that crystallized for me as Steve spoke.

There is never a moment in our lives without some urgent or necessary thing we must, should, or could do.  Failure to do those things can cause pain, and sometimes the act of doing them can be painful or at least unpleasant.  The sheer volume of “to-dos” can and often will crowd out the things in our lives with the greatest potential for meaningful advancement.

So exactly what do the Urgent, Necessary and Never have in common?  The Urgent and Necessary can conspire such that the most valuable improvements and greatest joys in our lives Never happen.

The good news here is that the dawn of every day brings an opportunity to make choices regarding how we will spend it and what we will do.  I wrote about the two daily choices we face a couple of years ago: http://www.billdellecker.com/blog/two-choices .  We don’t have to allow the urgent and necessary, or apathy, to drive out everything else.  Change begins with a choice. 

Using a schedule to plan activities is a powerful tool, if the planning process includes blocked time for the activities that will move your life forward.  Steve McClatchy explains how “gain activities” must be scheduled and then “defended”, so they aren’t crowded out by all of the “to-dos” (aka “pain activities”) that surround them.

If this concept resonates with you, I heartily recommend that you check out Steve’s resources at the links below.  Enjoy the Journey!

Steve@Alleer.com / www.Alleer.com / http://alleer.com/clients/

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd0MVKSXJfc 
Steve McClatchy Profile:http://alleer.com/about/
LinkedIn Profile:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemcclatchy
Twitter:https://twitter.com/stevemcclatchy

New York Times, USA Today & Amazon Bestseller:
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Decide-Smarter-Reduce-Stress-Example/dp/1118554388
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/decide-steve-mcclatchy/1117925681?