Threatening Emails

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!