My Learnings…. My Transformations

IOU- Importance Over Urgency 

“Discipline is the ability to focus on “What is important” before it becomes urgent.”

The by-product of what is urgent is stress and the by-product of what is Important is peace.

Procrastination takes us to a point where we cannot postpone anymore, and a sense of urgency sets in and we have to hurriedly do what must be done. This becomes stressful.

A student who wastes the entire year on gadgets, social media, friends, gossip gangs, games, etc, suddenly finds himself with very little time to prepare for his exams. What was in the beginning of the year, important, but was overlooked, has now become urgent.

This leads to undue stress, as he doesn’t know from where to begin, what to study, what to leave in choice, as everything is important. He loses his sleep and peace of mind. Now all that he can do is, regret for wasting his time. Does it serve any purpose?

There are students who are very focused. They set a goal first, and then make a plan. Attitude to win is important. But it has to be backed up by an attitude to prepare to win.

It is such a joy to see students who keep setting a target for every exam and then note down how much they scored. Whether they achieved their target, or surpassed their target, or fell short of their target. They then reset their axis and change the process if their earlier process had not helped them achieve their target.

Thus, their goal is to crack the exam. Champions are those who invest their time in Q2 of the time management quadrangle. They prioritize, plan, prepare and perform. This approach helps them to use their time effectively and achieve their goal by focusing on what is most important.

The same applies to our health as well. We prefer watching television, or social media, or chatting with friends, over daily exercise. The spontaneous answer I get from people for not exercising is, “I don’t find time.” Morning time is in your hands. Wake up half-an-hour earlier and gift it to your body, instead of waiting for hours at the doctor’s place.

If exercise is not given importance, it will become an urgency when we develop health issues. You cannot avoid your daily walks. It will one day become mandatory.

I don’t give my body a choice. After I come back from work, there are days I feel lazy, but my mind prevails over my body. I push my body beyond its limits. I don’t even listen to my body pleading with me. I hit the gym. Weight training is very essential to protect your bones.

I practice yoga in the morning. Waking up early has become seamless now. Again, it is mind over body. It took a lot of effort to reach here. Today, I am enjoying the benefits of all my hard work. I will never have to tell anyone, “I can’t do it.” Whether it is climbing six to seven floors, or squeezing myself into the back seat of the car, or walking twenty thousand steps a day while on a holiday, or trekking in the Himalayas, I have done it all. You will never feel your age.

So, begin today. Become proactive. Don’t wait for the doctor to decide your daily routine. Create your own schedule. Never tell you don’t have time. Create a time for yourself. Else, your body will create an urgency so that you pay attention to your body.  If you take care of your body, your body will take care of you.

Exercise should be an important part of your life. Don’t execute a choice. Make it a choiceless state.

If you neglect what is important, it will one day become urgent.

Judicious use of time is the key. I realized this the hard way.  Try it out one day at a time, and you will make your life a celebration.

This is one of my learnings. Celebrating my life!!!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting