Today I am on the run. I mean really on the run. I over-committed
today, much like I did yesterday and the day before now that I think of it. Generally, before I head out the door, I respond to the emails that arrived during the night. I am anal retentive and have difficulty leaving any message unopened before I leave the house. There are many, many messages this morning.
When I return later there will be even more emails from friends, family, clients and those offering me a penis enlargement. Fortunately the Nigerian who harassed me for years about a tremendous wealth building opportunity simply by giving him my bank routing and account numbers, has decided to leave me alone, for now.
One email is marked urgent. Urgent! Was this a hurricane warning saying the drawbridge would be closed and I need to evacuate the island? Was there fraudulent activity on my Amex card again? No, this email has an all too familiar theme about a runaway teen. While searching for food, the girl noted a butterfly, and the email claims the butterfly was a sign from above, telling the child to return home. In the past I would be tearful reading this but today I am annoyed. You see the email goes on to say, “Send this email to 10 of your friends…” and —“or, all butterflies will die and you will be personally responsible!”
A second email warns me of the ill effects of sugar threatening that if I do not share this critical information to even more of my friends than were needed to save the butterflies, I will be obese by months end. And a third email says I should consider breast enlargement. As I said, I am busy today. I cannot do all three of these things. Which one should I do? Save the butterflies? Avoid becoming obese? Enhance the present 34D situation?
Obviously in the examples above, I do not have to take any action. However, my days are filled with real decision points, where I do have to choose one thing over another. Do I choose a healthy breakfast or grab a quick cherry flip from Publix bakery? Is the call on my cell so important that I should answer it while driving? Should I call my ever-so-chatty aunt in the morning, knowing she will be at church, and just leave a voice message? Do I say yes to another tennis game or work on my research? Do I listen to gossip or do I distance myself so I can not hear it?
In order for me to be at my best SUCCESSTROGEN level, I have to make good choices. If responding to and forwarding these emails raises my level, then that is what I should do. But if that activity gets in the way of my feeling productive, which I have clearly noted is important to me, then I should delete the irrelevant messages.
Writing the SUCCESSTROGEN blog helps me keep my SUCCESSTROGEN level high, so I continue to write everyday. Responding to the threatening emails does not provide the same output. My IPad can work either way for me. I can enjoy limited time playing Words with Friends or I can blow away hours at a time playing the game and later, feel unproductive. Tennis several days a week works well, keeping me active, in shape, and connected to friends. But tennis seven days a week takes time away from my higher SUCCESSTROGEN level that is achieved by a variety of activities.
Sometimes I choose to “blow off” a day and just hang out. This works for me as long as I consciously make that decision, and will manage through the resultant consequences. After a most stressful week, I was thinking of getting a massage, rather than buckling right down to work. I know that means I will have to work this evening, but I will do that. The masssage is a good decision today. Other days, the massage is just something I do to avoid doing what I need to do.
Are there choices you make where you lose hours that may have been spent more wisely? Do you allow yourself to “blow off” a day once in a while and just have fun? How is your SUCCESSTROGEN level today? There is still time to adjust it if need be!
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