How to Avoid the Biggest Dream Killer

"Many people die with their music still in them.”

Oliver Wendall Holmes

While relaxing a few weeks ago, I happened to come across a movie titled You Don’t Mess With The Zohan starring Adam Sandler. Zohan, Adam’s character, had left his native country to pursue his dream of becoming a hair dresser in America. There was a pivotal point in the movie where Zohan became frustrated by his many failed attempts to land a hair dresser job and decided that he would settle for a sales position in his friend’s electronic store. 

The owner of the store declined Zohan's request pointing to three store employees as examples. The first worker came to America with a dream of becoming a race car driver, but gave up on it to work at the store. He then pointed to the next worker who dreamed of becoming a famous comedian, but never picked up a microphone. The third employee had dreams of becoming a great hand model, but ended up selling cell phones for a living.

The three employees let comfort become the enemy of their calling. What they thought was a temporary stop, became their permanent destination. They were victims of the biggest dream killer known to man. What can you do you avoid becoming a victim? Before, I answer this question; let’s get clear on the identity of the top dream killer. 
 

Fear of Failure

A fear of failure is the biggest dream killer and the most common reason that people procrastinate. If you commit to adopting the right perspective, your chances of achieving your dream increase. 

For example, I have a friend whose dream is to become a famous professional speaker. He recently joined four Toastmasters clubs. I thought this was over the top, so I asked him why he did it. He told me that being in four clubs will give him four times the failures of the average speaker and by quadrupling his failure rate; he will reach his goal faster! Noted author and speaker John Maxwell said it best when he said “Experience is not the best teacher, EVALUATED experience is.” Without evaluated experience, we will repeat the same mistakes and not reach our full potential. 

If you adopt this perspective on failure, you will not procrastinate in the pursuit of your dream. Like Zohan’s friend, I refuse to allow you to settle for less. I am your procrastination prevention partner. 

If you found this to be helpful, please share it by using the social media share buttons at the bottom. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. To get additional information on the reasons that you procrastinate, get a copy of my ebook. 

How To Procrastinate

“There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.”

Brian Tracy

Procrastination is not necessarily a bad thing. Now that I have your attention, let me clarify my point by sharing the following illustration. Several weeks ago while visiting a friend in the hospital, I happened to pass the emergency room. While in the emergency room I noticed an interesting pattern. 

Patients were not being serviced in the order that they arrived. Those that had cold symptoms and minor bruises were forced to wait while the patients with major injuries were taken in immediately. 

There was a Triage Nurse on duty, whose job was to make sure that the injuries with the most urgency received the highest priority. This was not a first come, first served system. The emergency room is a reminder of the fact that your most important priority is not necessarily the first task that comes to your attention. 

Too many of the to do lists that I see are first come first serve. If there is a list of ten items, most people start with the first item on the list. The problem is that the first item may be the least important while item number ten could be urgent. So, how do you determine what is urgent and what can wait? Keep reading and you will learn how to procrastinate. 

Triaging
Triaging is a system for assigning priorities based on urgency. The nurse in the previous illustration is called a Triage Nurse because her main job is to prioritize. 

I truly believe that if you have more than three priorities that you really don’t have any. When I attack my to do’s, I place a star by the tasks that are truly urgent. The star tells me that if there was a power outage and I could not get anything else done, completing this task would make my day a productive one. For me, checking e-mail, checking voicemail, or sending social media communication is not urgent and does not get a star. I can procrastinate on these tasks because they are not priorities. 

Many of the people with whom I work have a habit of checking e-mail first thing in the morning. They react to a message and spend a significant part of their day putting out fires. The problem is that the truly urgent items take a back seat to something that is of lower importance. They either spend more time in the office or ignore what is truly important. 

If you embrace the process of Triaging, you will have more time for your priorities by procrastinating on those tasks that are not urgent. A failure to triage you will cause you procrastinate on your priorities which is never a good thing! So there you have it. If you know someone who can benefit from this week’s message, please share it using the social share buttons at the bottom of this posting. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. For more information on How to Procrastinate, read my ebook. 

The Answer To Your Most Pressing Management Question

“To achieve life balance, be mindful of what you are giving up in pursuit of what you want.”

- Jim Rohn

When I was writing my ebook, I took a poll of to determine your most pressing time management concern. Based on the overwhelming feedback, it is clear that creating a life that is balanced between family and career is the top concern. If life balance has ever been a challenge for you, then you will be able to relate to the following poem by David L. Weatherford.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,
or listened to rain slapping the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight,
or gazed at the sun fading into the night? 

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,
time is short, the music won’t last. 

Do you run through each day on the fly,
when you ask “How are you?”, do you hear the reply? 

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,
with the next hundred chores running through your head? 

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,
time is short, the music won’t last. 

Ever told your child, we’ll do it tomorrow,
and in your haste, not see his sorrow? 

Ever lost touch, let a friendship die,
’cause you never had time to call and say hi? 

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,
time is short, the music won’t last. 

When you run so fast to get somewhere,
you miss half the fun of getting there. 

When you worry and hurry through your day,
it’s like an unopened gift thrown away. 

Life isn’t a race, so take it slower,
hear the music before your song is over.

Next week, I will share with you some specific strategies that will help you on your quest for life balance. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. In my ebook One moment in Time, I share specific steps that you can take to have more balance in your life. 

Which Game Are You Playing?

When I Turned 40, I had the following conversation with my friend Mike: “ Mike, I can’t believe I am 40. I am getting old! Eric, no worries, you are in the prime of your life. After all, 40 is the new 30!” I was feeling pretty good about my situation until I cam across an interesting statistic. 

According to a recent study from The Washington Post, the average life expectancy in the United States is 74 years. After doing a little math, I discovered something disturbing. Divide 74 by two and middle age is 37. 

Half of your time has passed before even reaching age 40. As you can see, we don’t have as much time as we think. What can you do to make the most of your most valuable resource? 

Be Proactive
On the game board of life, you are either playing chess or your playing checkers. The game of chess is designed for the proactive. The successful chess player is thinking two to three moves ahead compared to the checkers player that is only focused on the move that is in front of him. 

Which game are you playing? Here is a story from my past to help you decide. I was scheduled to give a speech for Toastmasters International. I knew about this a month in advance. My presentation was on Tuesday. When did I start preparing? On Monday at midnight! 

I was playing checkers. Waiting until the last minute is stressful. If you are always stressed out, you won’t have the motivation to pursue your dream. What can you do to avoid playing checkers? 

Recognize Your Power Time
You have a genetic clock that gives you high energy levels at certain times of the day and lower energy at other times. This “clock” is known as your circadian rhythm. The key to being proactive is to schedule your highest priority activities during your highest energy times. 

For example, I have the highest energy level early in the morning. I made the mistake of preparing my toastmasters speech late in the evening when I had low energy levels. This lack of energy was a big reason for my procrastination. 

If you are not sure of your power time, you can search for “circadian rhythm” on the Internet and access several online tests that will help you to find out. If you recognize your power time, you will be motivated to be proactive. On life’s game board, more chess equals less stress! 

Sincerely,
Eric M Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. To learn my 5-step plan to become more proactive, download my ebook.

Time Is the Only Thing You Can't Afford To Waste

This isn't a doom and gloom message. Doom and gloom messages have a moral tale to tell.

I don't. I just want to make you aware of a serious problem. It doesn't seem like a problem for you at the moment, but it truly is.

Here's the problem. Time is the one thing we can't get back once it's lost.

Your choices are increasingly limited and in other ways your choices are just increasing. Your decisions today could cost you time tomorrow.

You read Twiggs Time because you're interested in getting great information about managing your time. I hope I haven't disappointed you.

I strive to lead the industry in being on top of the trends, keeping an eye on the market shifts, and educating new business owners, seasoned executives and key members of their teams to ensure their success.

In keeping in line with my goals, I have recently published the definitive digital publication to help you make the most of your time.

I compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions from my clients and prospects. The questions from business owners, employees and corporate executives are consistently the same.

I decided to create a guide to answer these questions and more. This guide was designed to:

• Introduce you to the power of the list
• Show you how to plan and design a time management scheme
• Educate you on how to truly achieve success by prioritizing 
• Teach you the principles of effective preparation

Not knowing the lessons in this book could cost you the one thing that you can't afford to lose... time.

Download it to your tablet, or even your phone, and refer back to it as often as you need to, to begin building more effective time saving habits.

Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner