I Can't Do Everything!

On days when unexpected events play havoc with my plans, when my To Do list has expanded beyond the limit of my online task manager, when every activity takes longer than I think it will, I rant to my husband, to my friends, to my teddy bear, to the Universe, "What do you expect of me? I can't do everything!"

Well. No...I can't.

I'm sure you can't do everything you dream of, wish for, plan for. Consultants talk about time management and setting goals and keeping your priorities straight. The suggestions and rules and guidelines can get confusing. Here's another way to find what's important. Start with the following quotation:

In today already walks tomorrow. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Goals are simply what you want a future tomorrow to look like. In the future, do you envision giving your best friend's expected baby a cuddly blanket that you've made? And is this vision strong and important to you? Then today you will take stock of your skills, material and time and plan the project. If you see your future tomorrows filled with travel that you love, then today, you will take care of your health so that you are up to the physical challenge and begin trip planning. In the future, if you see yourself completing a novel, then today, you must do at least one thing that moves you closer to that goal.

If you don't see yourself entertaining friends with your piano-playing, then you won't want to take piano lessons now. If you can not envision working as a construction worker, then you won't want to learn the trades necessary for the job. You must see tomorrow and like what you see, want what you see.

Close your eyes and envision what your tomorrows look like. See a typical day in your mind. Hm-m-m. Some time playing guitar and singing, several hours writing, a couple hours consulting, some physical activity, lunch with friend, a favorite TV show. Can I make that happen?

I can if I begin to fashion my Today with Tomorrow in mind.

So can you.