I've been thinking a bit about what success in any endeavor requires, and it seems to me that time is the common element. People talk about not having time for various activities, and of course it's a matter of prioritizing: I can say I don't have time to exercise in the morning before I start my work, but the truth is that I'm
choosing to sleep an extra hour. Taking this to a logical extreme, I can say I don't have time to hike the Appalachian Trail, but I do - I'm simply
choosing to spend that time on income-generating activities instead, as I have a fondness for, well, eating and having a place to live.
So when it comes to allocating time to business matters, what am I choosing to not do? For me, television is a fairly easy "pass." It's too easy for me to plonk down on the couch at 8:00 in the evening, not move until 11:00, and do nothing but absorb negativity for the entire three hours. Housework? Erm, yeah. I do maintain a basic standard of cleanliness, but the higher-level right-up-next-to-Godliness ideal will still be there when I get back to it. Time spent on friendships with people who are bent on self-sabotage? Nope - that can be spent better elsewhere. We've all heard that "a friend in need is a friend indeed," but I've (finally!) released myself from the job of rescuing folks who create their own crises over and over again. None of those things contribute to my business or personal satisfaction.
What will I
not give up? I refuse to sacrifice being a part of my children's major milestones. I joined the network marketing industry in part because I wanted more time with my family, not less, and that's a value I share with my prospective business partners. My faith community is an important part of my spiritual growth, and Sunday mornings are spent with those people. I recently realized I had unconsciously given up reading just for pleasure and reclaimed that time for myself. Time devoted to my family, my church, and my self (spacing intentional) is a component of the life I'm choosing to create.
An investment of time in an activity is necessary in order to achieve excellence. Balance in one's life is necessary in order to avoid burnout. What will you give up, what will you hold on to, and how are those decisions consistent with the life you say you want?
