Openly I admit…I’ve never been best friends with “Time.” Can’t blame it on being completely opposite nor can I call it a sibling rivalry. It has nothing to do with being under someone’s complete control or a mile wide jealousy streak fed by it getting more attention than me.
“Time” and I don’t see eye to eye and if put face to face in front of the principle of a school, the GM at a business or alone with me in the car…not even thirty seconds into our gathering and we’re instantly at each others throats.
I can’t be alone on this! I see people waste “Time” like half a sandwich. I bite deeply into my lower until it bleeds when someone doesn’t respect my “Time.” My issues run rampant which infects every breath I take in places where timing is everything. While recording music or talking over the intro of a song on the radio “Time” is my weakest muscle.
This is why I arrive two hours too early and still feel like I’m running a day late. I had a heart attack on July 21st and got a text message from the Great Creator, “I said later not now!”
It doesn’t matter if you’re constantly late or horribly addicted to arriving ahead of schedule “Time” is a bigger bully than the IRS. With so much misery on both sides of the fence…there has to be a happy place! And it can’t be in management because business leaders look horrible and totally out of place.
Author Leo Babauta who gave us the book The Power of Less strongly suggests that every morning should forever begin with a priority list. On that sheet of paper or posted note jot down nothing more than the three most important tasks required that twenty four hour period.
The system is a brilliant exercise which allows you to be in control of “Time.” When someone tells Arroe the Producer, “I need this by blah, blah, blah time,” I limit my words and just smile. Then Arroe the Ambassador is told to report to this place by blank, blank, blank.” Followed by Arroe the movie guy, artist and Tae Kwon Do student…my blood pressure doesn’t get bent out of shape because knowing what my priorities are constantly wins.
Yesterday, the doctor looks at me and says, “I need you back here in less than a week…what day do you have open?” My reply is, “You tell me and I’ll build my day around you.”
Multi-tasking isn’t going away. Expectations will increase to dangerous levels with no shoulder to lean on. The only way you’re going to easily make it is to land a job at Taco Bell where it seems the only people working are the customers cleaning their own tables.
The trick is to locate focus. I’ve made it my daily priority to write on this page for no reason other than to offer a better destination to the day that’s attacking you from all sides. Focusing on a short list of three serves as an incredible fire starter which ignites your determination into a mode of personal victory…the only pat on the back you’re getting from the boss today is that you suck less than yesterday.
Lou believes simple tasking can be a task. It’s going to take some time to get used to it. If your day consists of jumping here, then there, then back here…exercise your right to bring it back to the center. It takes practice to gain control of “Time.”
Stop racing home to watch American Idol, Grey’s Anatomy and Sponge Bob…DVR or Tivo it. Or if you’re like my mother who’s stuck in the 80’s…they still make VHS tapes. Dinner doesn’t always have to be at 6pm. Healthy ways of eating such as grazing with light meals every two hours lands you in total comfort control. Porking down that massive salad at noon is body abuse and you should be arrested. Learn to work with your mind, body and soul and the end result will be a more peaceful view of yourself in the mirror.
How many times have you looked into a mirrored image of those eyes and thought it? You can’t stand that image and everything that goes with it. Then you calmly walk over, turn off the bathroom light and return to the family in the other room with a fake smile, fake ambition to be loving and fake craving for ice cream and mashed potatoes.
That image in the mirror doesn’t have to say a thing because you already know how “Time” has completely destroyed your decision making. Stop letting co-workers interrupt your day. Stop thinking about other things you need to be doing. Team work at work is a joke…it’s all about me and the art of survival. Problem is…you don’t spend enough time thinking about you, which makes you weaker and weaker and eventually you get sick and sicker then you’re out for a day or two and the guilt wreaks havoc on your purpose of being. You should be arrested…that’s body abuse.
A single sheet of paper, three priorities every morning.
It kills me when I can’t be Superman. Then you stop for a moment and look back at how many co-workers came to visit you in the hospital or made a simple phone call to see how things were. The man who wrote the quote, “There’s no I in teamwork,” totally forgot to look the word up on the web. Teamwork is spelled, me, myself and I…
When the short priority list is completed…you’ve respectfully given yourself permission to add to your day.
It’s killing the overly dedicated radio person in me that the job is taking me away from the station commercial production room today…the company asked me to share our positive outlook on the future with young brilliant minds blessed with the gift of performance. Being a showman requires an act of belief and no microphone on my path shall ever be opened if I don’t take the time to teach someone the art of communication. We’ll never make it into the realms of the next 24 hour period if those leading today don’t take the time to teach tomorrows leaders the latest tricks of the trade.
My priority list today: Writing this weeks radio shows. Writing for this web site and shaking hands and kissing babies with people that will be here long after the business has convinced “Time” to take my tail and give it to another maker.
The moment you get control of "Time…"you’ll stop purchasing so much makeup or fun clothes and toys at the mall. Stare into the eyes of a clown and tell me they aren’t hiding something behind that mask. Now go look into the mirror.
Ouch! Mom! He's being mean today!!!!!
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
No comments:
Post a Comment