I spent the morning doing every mom’s favorite chore – washing floors and picking up toys. Hurrah for motherhood! It’s interesting how our house has been infiltrated by these sneaky toys that magically spread themselves all over the place. Not to mention the floor that seems to be producing more dust and dirt every day like it was a living organism.
Anyway, since the kids were still peacefully snoozing in their beds, I decided to combine work with pleasure and listened to one of my favorite podcasts – The Action Catalyst. The guest of the show shared his secret to success – he once heard Earl Nightingale say “If you spend an extra hour each day to study in your chosen field, you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less”. He decided to give it a try and has ever since doubled his yearly income. He is currently one of the best in his field.
I was truly inspired by what I heard in that podcast and decided to accept the challenge. So now I have to spend an hour a day studying – but study what exactly? I started thinking about what I enjoy doing and what drives me on a daily basis. It became clear to me that I am passionate about three things in my life – my family, my job and sweets. Great, now I’m craving candy. Or would I rather have chocolate? Okay brain, work with me now. Where was I? Aah yes, the latter I can get from the store, the first two – unfortunately not.
It was decided, I shall learn about management/leadership skills and not only in the workplace but also at home because Lord knows home and work can be like a war with two fronts. Plus let’s be honest, managing 2-4 year-olds does not differ much from managing 20-30 year-olds. The thought that in five years I will be the best mom, wife and leader got me excited beyond belief.
Take a moment to think:
- If you’d have the opportunity to become a well-known expert then what field would it be in? Why that field?
- Now imagine that you’ve achieved your goal. Imagine yourself making use of your full potential every single day and sharing your knowledge with others. How does it feel? Allow yourself to embrace that feeling for a moment.
- Would you be able to find and spend an hour every day for self-development in that specific field? How to find that extra hour?
I personally love, love, LOVE studying. I feel like I am going backward if I don’t constantly improve myself. But an hour a day?! Where on Earth am I supposed to find the extra hour while balancing small children and work??? I already wish there’d be 78,5 hours in a day so I could get everything done which isn’t that crazy of a wish really. Elon Musk just needs to get his act together and find us the right planet to move to.
But if there is a will there is a way. I have the will; therefore, I must find a way.
I could wake up an hour earlier or go to bed an hour later. I could listen to audiobooks and podcasts while doing the daily chores, walking with the stroller, driving a car and so on. I’ve figured it out – time or the lack thereof is not an excuse. I decided that from now on I have plenty of time for self-development. At the end of the day, it all boils down to making the correct choices and decisions. After all, time is constant – we just need to think about how we use it and perhaps change our take on it.
What better way to use time than investing it in yourself and; as a consequence, in other people around you.
Soon it’s the end of the year so it’s a great time for a restart.
Where will you invest your time in 2021? Let us know and be our inspiration!
You know the best time to act is now, right?
So, while you already have this post opened, take a couple of minutes to think about the following questions, answer them and have them sent to your email so you can go over them any time you want.
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