Motivation Monday: You Have The Ability to Accomplish So Much By Making Slight Changes

Today's Motivation Monday quote is a long one. I actually stumbled upon it a few weeks ago when I was looking for an organization quote to match my goal for that week. (That post has proved to be a popular one thanks to Pinterest folk pinning my design.) This quote touches on organization, but also expands into time management, priorities, and success.

"Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow."

—Og Mandino.

(The design was inspired this image.)

Before I share my thoughts about this quote, I have to tell you that this Og Mandino guy is quite impressive. I did not know who he was, but after reading several other quotes from him, I knew he was someone I had to learn more about. A post is in the works so stay tuned for that. 

Now my thoughts.

Part of what I loved about this quote is it reminded me of how overwhelmed I have often felt in life by things I simply do. not. care. about. Sure, I pride myself on being a good worker and being a dependable employee. But when my efforts there left me drained and without energy to dedicate to my personal passions and goals, I knew I had to make a change. (It just took me a while to do so—and to be clear, these feelings had nothing to do with the quality of the jobs I've held but with who I am and what I personally want from life.) While I did leave behind several quite attractive benefits (stability and set income to name a few), I also opened the door to opportunity for ME PERSONALLY to accept the challenges I actually want to overcome. Opportunities that allow me to grow and become the person I hope to one day be.

Apply this mentality to both play and work. Fill your life with things that are meaningful and beneficial, no matter what you are doing. My introvert self loves this because I choose my social activities very carefully. I'm not a person who enjoys just hanging out with random people all the time. I want to form meaningful relationships that matter to ME and hopefully matter to the other people. If I'm spending time with you, it means I WANT to spend time with you. (Usually...sometimes I'm a sucker for obligatory activities.)

And finally, remember that you CAN change. You CAN grow. You CAN become a better person (remember to focus on your own definition of what this is). How? By making slight changes.

Don't focus on the big picture. Focus on the small, daily tasks and decisions. Remember that your time matters. Remember that what you do now, today, determines who you are tomorrow and what you will accomplish.

How can I focus on these things this week? 

I'm going to focus on removing the clutter from my life and time. Look at what can suck your time without providing any productivity. (Think apps, television, games, etc.) I like watching a tv show while I make/eat lunch, but I think I can spend that time better. I want to outline how to best spend my time. If I have an hour to finish a project, I'll finish that project in an hour. If I have all day...I'll probably take all day.