'The price of discipline is less than the pain of regret.'
Life often seems complicated & difficult. Events sneak up on us & catch us off guard. Many times, it seems the train has left the station & we're working our best to catch up.
The overwhelm of 'the everyday', others' expectations, existing responsibilities & our own hopes & dreams weigh upon us. We spend more time firefighting than truly living life.
We do too much. We stay too busy. We think in terms of others' perspectives. We don't think much. I mean, we think, just not much about how things should be, how we should be in a way that translates to making necessary changes. We think more about the catching up we need to do & not nearly as much about how to get in front of the train to change the trajectory of the tracks.
So we wind up being a response to the world around us when the world around us should be a response to us. Pro-Act is to act in advance. The only way to act in advance, is to think in advance. Think way ahead of time. It's not really thinking that far in advance, but our culture & those around us will make it seem unusual. That's because most of the time, they are living behind.
Behind is normal. Not ready is the usual way. Lack of preparation seems easier on the front end & leads to much more difficulty afterward.
I have this conviction, that if we think about what we want, we think about the right questions to ask, then with counsel, understanding, seeking, learning & thinking, we will determine very good answers. If we think, we can live in front of life. I believe this is wisdom.
So, we must think. Take time to ask the questions in front of the train. How & who do we want to be? What situations should we prepare our children for? What routines do we need to change & alter? What are the values & purposes we need to inject more into the moments of our life?
Those are some questions, there are many many more to be asked. Thinking ahead will make your doing more valuable.
Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.
Peter F. Drucker
