TIME

As I write this post on the year end 31^st Dec 2013, I cannot but remind myself that this is such a unique moment; for with every passing second I will bid good bye to 2013 and usher in 2014 with fresh hopes and dreams. What is more  significant is the realization that while the event will repeat itself every year on 31^st Dec. this moment when I writing this post will never mean the same ever. For this is my TIME as I write and your TIME as you read it and for you and me This Instant Moment is Everything .

The ideal way to ensure you utilize your time well is to ensure you plan well. Perhaps this is reinforced by the fact that we ritually make New Year Resolutions. If you haven’t done that yet, resolve to make the list as soon as you finish reading this post. When you make your New Year Resolutions it would help if you grouped it in meaningful ways. E.g. Personal Goals, Professional Goals, Financial Goals, Academic Goals, Self Improvement goals etc. To make your plan work well and help you achieve your goal list out at least 3 action plans and put a time frame to each action plan. 

It is assumed that you would write down all the plans listed above. It is equally essential that you  ensure that your plans are often seen by you. This means you need to display it in a place where you see it and are reminded of it regularly. Additionally it would help you to share some of your significant plans with family and friends who hopefully will prod you, nag you, remind you, push you and pester you about your progress on the goals. Sure enough you will find yourself spending your TIME very productively chasing those plans. Don’t forget to also review your plans and revise it if needed for almost all plans need tweaking and adjustment before they fructify into achievements.

On the other hand one need not get obsessed with TIME or else one would never enjoy a good time. Partying and relaxation is as important as achieving your goals. Taking TIME out to recharge and rejuvenate is an essential part of spending TIME for your self. Similarly ensure frequent time out for family, friends, socializing for as a social animal, these are significant moments that will ensure a healthy personal, family and social life. 

At various times each of us will feel guilty of either squandering time or being slaves to time. It is possible that there is some truth in this feeling of guilt for none us can ever be clock work in real life. What is important is not to let the guilt overwhelm us but on making the realization take steps to remedy the situation. This is possible only if one ensures that his/ her time allocation for whatever planned has ample time cushions. We get stressed when we fail to allocate time cushions for life is always full of surprises and we can never be sure of what lies in store. 

There are times when each of us have also gone through the agony of finding time weighing heavily on us especially when sick or immobilized or when one has lost his/ her job or retired. That is the time for one to be creative in utilizing your time. Think positively, find alternatives, rework your plans, don’t forget that 24 hours is all yours; use it well. Results may not be apparent or immediate, but patience is a value that is best taught by TIME.

Whatever be our take on TIME, no time is wasted except when we willfully become complacent, lethargic and indifferent to the value of TIME. After all we are all blessed with TIME as long as we are alive and that should also remind us that This Instant Moment is Everything 

So in closing let me quote Longfellow

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate ;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

May EACH one of you blessed with ample TIME for growth, happiness and contentment!

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our inspirational and motivational blog

http://www.actspot.wordpress.com

PLAN

To achieve anything it is essential that one has a clear plan. Without a plan we may still get lucky and achieve some success, but sustained success and achievement is impossible without a clear plan and that means we need ensure that  Possibilities Listed & Actions Noted. A plan is a guide to a destination. A good plan therefore essentially means that one has to think hard, visualize possibilities and alternatives, crystallize a clear goal and outline intermediate steps to attain the goal. The plan also ensures that our focus is on the goal, we are aware of slip ups and deviations and we can then consciously take corrective action. 

We must be aware that most times we do not plan because it takes effort, the possibilities seem daunting and we fear making the commitment. However, what we fail to appreciate are the benefits that accrue from having a well laid out plan. To begin with there is clarity. We know the destination and we can chalk out the route map. Proper plans build in milestones so as to ensure we are on the right road and that we are keeping pace with the time allotted without overshooting the budgets. The best plans also have sufficient time and fiscal cushions inbuilt so that exigencies can be taken care of. Plans ensure that we commit the right resources at the right time in the right measure to ensure the right results. 

Plans also ensure savings in money and time. Early bird pricing is a simple example of how those who plan and commit themselves can benefit monetarily by making early bird payments. With a finely tuned plan, one can juggle priorities and even find the time for personal pursuits be it a hobby or recreational activity. With proper plans put in place, one can also go for more sophisticated savings implementation like Just In Time production and zero defect production. Smooth operations, minimizing crisis, managing crisis if any, collapsing execution time frames are some additional benefits of good plans. 

On a day to day basis even drawing up a list of jobs to be done is a plan albeit a crude one. Maintaining a diary and scheduling appointments and assignments enhance the quality of personal plans. Self discipline is an essential condition for chalking out and implementing plans. Take the case of specialist doctors who have their rounds of different hospitals and clinics well laid out. Without self discipline they would never be able to stick to their plans, manage emergencies and yet lead a balanced personal life. While every plan revolves around Possibilities Listed & Actions Noted the real value of a good plan lies in the manner we take action to ensure we utilize the full potential of our plan.

Action Points:

1. Start planning and jotting down your New Year Resolutions. Remember it is never too early to plan.
2. What are your financial goals? How do you plan to achieve them? Do you have a target for savings for the coming year? How will you invest the savings?
3. Do you have a personal growth (physical / mental / societal / spiritual etc.) plan?
4. Can you recollect 2 plans which fetched you rich rewards? How did you go about planning and what were the rewards?

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our inspirational and motivational blog

http://www.actspot.wordpress.com

PRESENT

The greatest gift we have is the PRESENT for it is a Prime Resource Emerging Silently Evolving Now Today. Today as your are reading this remember that you have not just this moment but the numerous moments that make up the day completely at your disposal to use in a manner that will bring you a sense of achievement, happiness and satisfaction. Each moment has so much of potential and it is available to us and freely and comes to us quietly with a million possibilities that keep changing moment to moment. At this moment a phone could divert your attention and you may move away from reading this post or a sudden thought of a pending job will lure you away from this post and thus does each present moment evolve.

The present is perhaps the most valuable resource that a person can be blessed with. It gives each one of us opportunity, hope and the possibilities of change which we can grab inured to evolve and grow. The present moment comes freely, reaches all and passes by silently neither drawing attention to itself nor holding back its bounty from anyone. These are the moments that one should grasp to make, enhance and mend relationships, utilize productively to grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually and materialistically and to bring about change within our selves, the environment around and positively influence the people who we come in contact with directly or indirectly.

To make the best use of the present, it is essential that one is aware of the tremendous power that each moment carries. This awareness will make us ponder, plan and put to use the moments as they charge in. When we ponder over how to use the present we can clarify to ourselves the priorities to be assigned to each moment and thereby evolves a plan. Many of us often ignore this step because it involves us making a systematic study and a firm commitment. We prefer to live moment to moment and therein lies the root cause of our many frustrations, failures and fears. By planning we have systematically put in place the perfect net to catch each moment lest they go waste. The moment caught is useless if we do not proactively utilize it for our own growth and the general good of the society and the environment at large.

Look at your watch or a clock ticking away now. Ask yourself if this is the present moment that had to be utilized in reading this post? If you think you had to do something else at the present moment, you would be feeling a touch guilty; else you would feel that it was the best use of the present that you have made. It is when we can see the PRESENT as a gift from the almighty, that we would value it more and take greater care of it, for it then dawns on us that it is a Prime Resource Emerging Silently Evolving Now Today.

Action Points:

1. Assuming that 8 hours is for sleeping, broadly outline the major constituents of your time usage for the remaining 16 hours in the day under the following categories

• Personal time
• Time at work
• Social Time
• Family Time

1. Procrastination (the habit of postponing things) is one of the major evils that rob us of the present. Right now, jot down at least three learning points from the above post that you would like to implement. Do not give any excuse for not jotting down points because the excuses are the cancer cells that spread the disease of procrastination. If possible also write down your action plan to implement the points jotted down by you. (Now experience the pleasure of having utilized the present very fruitfully)

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/  is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/

TIME

The most scarce resource today is TIME. With every breath we take, we expend our energies and actually reduce our life span. When this thought strikes us, we realize how important it is to make the best use of the time at our disposal  and ensure we have no regrets. A good test to know if your using your time well is to simply answer this question now- If I were to die in the next 5 mins what would I be doing? 

Today I Must Exploit is a wonderful way to visualize how one uses his /her time. Each one of us has a different priority in life. As long as we are comfortable that we have focused our resources and our time to attain those priorities, we will never have any regrets about how we spend our time. If reading is our priority then so be it, watching a movie can also be ones priority especially if you are a move reviewer or sleep could be our prime concern after a hard days work.The problem is that we are rarely sure of our priorities and often we compromise on those priorities for short term pleasures.Students in particular are guilty of squandering away precious time by ignoring their studies and substituting it with frivolous pursuits like watching movies, TV, sleeping or shopping. For professionals, the danger is in wasting time in gossiping, backbiting, leg pulling, ego massaging, texting / emailing, indecision, etc.

Three simple TIME management rules are

1. Have a place for everything and put everything in its place
2. Plan your priorities and prioritize your plans
3. Pursue your priorities purposefully
   

Action Points

• Ensure you start with a clean, orderly environment where all your stuff is kept in fixed places and locations. 
  
• List out your priorities and plans to achieve them.
• Make a commitment to avoid all temptation and distractions that will divert your focus from the goal.
  

              Power Act - from www.actspot.com is focused on -
                        Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

8 - Only Today is Ours - use it NOW

In four short simple lines quoted below Longfellow encompasses an undeniable reality that - Only Today is OURS
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act -- act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Neither day dreams or reminisces of the past will help us realize our goals and harness our potential. It is ACTION alone that will result in tangible outcomes. Often we find ourselves, lapsing into the Good Ol' days mood, particularly when we are faced with obstacles and irritants that slow us down in the humdrum of life. Other times when we are more upbeat and excited we tend to visualize the future and paint in the most vibrant colors and almost tasting that illusionary success. The harsh reality however lies in between, TODAY.

While the past and the future have an important role in shaping our today through the hindsight of experience and the numerous possibilities of our imagination, it is work done Today that charts our course and helps us mark the milestones covered. When we are insecure and need guidance to ACT...Longfellow reminds us we must have a Strong Heart (self belief) and Immense Trust (in God) and take the plunge.

ACT- act, is an emphasis that it is both a continuing and an ongoing activity which we need to do every moment of our life! Only the present moment is ours, we need to use it Now and use it Well.

Action Points:

• Begin the practice of making a to-do today list.
• Start doing the least liked tasks first so that you are not stressed about it the whole day
• Try and review the day gone by and think of more efficient ways of doing some of the tasks.

     Power Act - from www.actspot.com is focused on -           
           Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

7 - March ahead with purpose

Longfellow now moves to a very philosphically plane in the fifth verse when he writes:
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
                  Bivouac - a temorary open encampment without tents
 

In a most unusual way, the poet draws out attention to the fact that our Life is actually a battle- a battle of choice; for we are given a free will and ample choices. Notice how a rarely used word bivouac is used to convey the fact that we stand exposed to the vagaries of making choices between good and evil, action and inaction, hope and despair, passive existence and active LIVING. He makes us focus our attention on the fact that the truth about life is the same for all human beings and yet it is OUR RESPONSE that would make us different form the next person.

Longfellow then urges us to take up the challenges thrown up by Life. He shames us in a subtle way when he remarks that we must not be like cattle that follow the herd and have to be driven by the cow herd, but we must be more decisive and chart out our own course. There is a reward at the end of it all; when we look into the mirror of our own life we will always see a HERO gazing back.

We need to realize that Life provides us challenges to ensure that we use all our God given abilities to the full and it begins with us having a purpose in life and the zeal and conviction to meet our goals.

 Action Points:
           List out the answers to the following

•  Do I know what I want from my life?
•  What stops me from achieving what I want to achieve ?
• What are the sacrifices that I am willing to make in order to achieve my goals? eg. If I want better grades can I sacrifice my TV viewing? Am I prepared to eat less and exercise more in order to keep fit and feel healthier ?

     Power Act - from www.actspot.com is focused on -
            Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.