Not so long ago, I found myself at a crossroads. A crossroad where a decision had to be made. An action had to be taken. I had backed myself into a corner and in no uncertain terms the only way out was to barreling through those obstacles that did their best to keep my back to the corner.
Thinking they had the upper hand, I knew that I had to no choice but do what had to be done. The actions I took might be right for everyone but they were right for me. I was letting the wrong people have the upper hand for far too long. In doing that it was costing me more than I ever knew. However, I was astonished how quickly my sight had cleared up and the burden of trying hard to not make waves was lifted. I did what I had to do to distance myself, my wife, and my children from the insecurities of others. If I wanted to SUCCEED as a husband and father, their insecurity had long was a liability.
The time came to cast off their chains that weighed me down, I had to break from the ties that anchored me to their world. I had to step out from the darkness they felt I deserved. I did just that and success is within reach, now more than ever.
Building success without dimming your light for insecure people involves embracing your achievements and potential unapologetically, while remaining empathetic and supportive to those around you.
It’s important to recognize that your success can inspire others, rather than intimidate them.
Start by setting clear boundaries that protect your self-worth and goals. Focus on personal growth by celebrating your milestones and learning from challenges. Practice humility by acknowledging the contributions of others, yet remain confident in your abilities. Engage in open, positive communication and offer encouragement to help others find their own path to success. By doing so, you create an environment where everyone feels empowered to shine, fostering a culture of mutual respect and inspiration.
Spring time is in full swing and summer is just around the bend. There is nothing better than waking up to cool mornings and enjoying the day as it warms up (but not too hot.)
DDR (East Germany) Ruhla Analog Alarm Clock (circa 1986)
Unfortunately, it does not last long. Spring in my neck of the woods is over before it really starts. Yep, down here on the Southern Border Spring lasts all of two weeks. Then, the triple digit temperatures return with such ferocity that a South Padre Island undertow feels more like a stream running across your ankles.
The seasons are merely signs of transition, time for change. Thus, the cycle begins again or does it never truly end? It really never truly stops or starts. For those that have read my writings and followed me for some time know that whether we like it or not; change is a constant.
So if you are inclined to read on, change brings us back to this place once again. It is here, in the Springtime that we must pause (NOT STOP) to reflect on what we have done, what we want to do, and most of all, what is still left to do.
Folks, this is the best time of the year to put yourself on the scale of life. This is the time to look back on the past 365 days. To see yourself as you see yourself. Paying no heed to what others see when they see you. Only what YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR. You focus on you and nothing and no one else. Once you look at yourself, you see the work you have done and what is still left to do. Then you can begin to work on yourself for yourself.
As most of us are goal oriented, the Spring is the perfect time to get things started, to make things happen, especially if you want to accomplish your goals before the end of the year. You still have time do get things done be the end of this year. As of this writing (13 APRIL 2025) there are 262 days left on the calendar.
That is 8 months and 18 days / 37 weeks / 6,288 hours and the CLOCK IS TICKING! It is not going to stop.
According to the late Dr. Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, it takes 21 days to create a habit. That means you can create approximately 12 new habits between now and New Year’s Eve.
TWELVE HABITS! WOW! Let that sink in!
Ask yourself, what are the 12 new habits and how much can those 12 new habits impact your life?
However, if you are perfectly happy NOT doing something to make your life better or you feel you do not need to improve, to change for whatever nonsensical “excuse” then please know and understand you are getting exactly what you deserve.
Also, do not hate on those that are doing something to become better, you choose the path you choose, let them choose their path, especially when you that have NO skin in their game.
For the rest of us that want to succeed: Time waits for no one. The Time for change is here and now. Everyday is a new opportunity to make a change.
Take that opportunity and Make it happen for YOURSELF.
In the previous blog entry, I talked about how it was important to find the time. How everyone has the same twenty-fours and such. Now, I want to share with you about how to make that time. How to extract the time you need to expand on what is important while minimizing downtime. The next set of questions is where to extract the time from? What to do with that time? Then how install the coming change that implementing the new found time will most bring.
Making time and how to make that time is not an easy task. It is by no means anywhere close to being easy. Well, I exaggerate (a little). It is easy to make time if all you do day in; day out is waste time. If all you have in your life is time to goof around, play on the PS4, or go party with your friends, then yes making the time is easy. However, it becomes a difficult task when we are already doing the important work. The kind of work we do when we are in school, putting in the hours from 9 to 5, and those awesome side hustles. All that and then we feel like we are still spinning our wheels? Well, no need for the anxiety to set in. Taking a few common-sense approaches will help identify the time, adjusting the time, and implementing the time changes. Let’s get started:
AUDIT YOUR DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR
Auditing your day may take some time to complete. As some days look the same as the previous day, I guarantee you every day is not the same but you know this. While you are auditing your day remember to note everything you from when you start working, what is the first thing you work on, when you take a break, what time you take lunch and so on.
Once you collect your data, next comes determining what works, what does not work, and what you want to start working on, among other things specific to you. Additionally, the audit data collected will also show you things you may not want to see or believe. Good or Bad, it is all a learning experience. A learning experience in that taking a step back will show us who we really are because in a day-to-day setting we are knee deep in the muck that we don’t see all that we really do because it is just the norm.
IDENTIFY WHAT CAN BE CHANGED THEN CHANGE IT
After collecting, sorting and dissecting the data there is a bit more work to do. Now the raw data is going to reveal the truth. The whole, good and bad, truth. The honest truth of what you have and have not been doing will be revealed. It is now the time to get to work.
Now is the time to identify what can be change. To do this, you will have to (honestly) determine what are you spending too much time on and not getting return on that time investment. Next, extract from the collected data what are you spending not enough time on but need to give more time to increase the return on the expanded time investment.
The final step in the identification process is to identify and create the CHANGE you feel (from your gut) you need to make. Having determined the time to be moved, shuffled, re-organized, re-prioritized, and re-distributed you are ready. Next, comes implementation and putting to work the impending change(s).
WORK THE PLAN
When it comes to implementing change in your life there are three trains of thought when it comes to implementing and working on the change(s): all at once, one thing at a time, or clustering the changes. The latter two are more apt to take root in that anything that does not appear right or appropriate can be worked on, modified, adjusted. Unfortunately, this is a luxury that does not accompany the “all at once” option.
Take that knowledge for what it is worth, acting on the change “one thing at a time” is my preferred method to deliver and act on change. It will certainly increase the level of buy-in and acceptance. Sometimes, the want to change is not enough. Whereas, through slow and deliberate actions in the way the plan is implemented and worked will increase success.
Once the first change is implemented then another can safely be brought in and implemented. By taking those slow, deliberate steps you are on the path to integrating the next change. The plan is to make the change an easy implementation of the changes to you, your life, your mission, and goals.
Throughout the entire process or working the plan you have another set of tasks to do. Those tasks are being constant and consistent when working on the fit that working the plan will make. Be careful for once you stop being constantly consistent is when you revert back to your old ways. You will be negating everything you have done up to this point.
The goal was to make the time to work on those things that will make a return on the time investment you make. The goal is also to minimize the continued action of those things that are not generating the kind of return you seek. Thus, it falls on you to stay the course, always. Staying the course of progress and change will most certainly ensure you are making the time. Isn’t that what success is all about?
