Excuses

            If you’re like me then you have a tendency – however slight – to put some things off. That’s what has happened to my efforts to maintain a daily writing schedule. One day I can wake up and decide that I want to go back to sleep. Another day I can choose to run rather than write. Still, another day can be spent doing absolutely nothing productive. Whichever excuse I use none seem to put me ahead of schedule and so I think about writing later in the day, kicking myself for not spending 15 or 20 minutes, nose to the grindstone, knocking out something incredibly enlightening.

            Excuses … that’s what becomes the norm when you don’t prioritize the events of your “time managed” life. Event Management. Time Management. Time Mismanagement. “It’s all the same. Only the names have changed.” It’s almost like that old Bon Jovi song, “Dead or Alive.” Without prioritizing what’s important – what has to be done before what should get done – all I ever get left with is what could have been done. Many years ago, when I was in the Navy, I took to heart a sign on our boat (USS Tortuga (LSD-46)) that spoke of the “7 Ps.”

“PRIOR PROPER PLANNING PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE”

            Now, I’m sure it’s not politically correct to say it like that anymore. And I’m sure some folks will get down-right offended because I used a urine reference … but I hope the reality of the point is not lost in the choice of words that I use. Prepare. Plan. Prioritize. Don’t let your lack of preparation be the excuse that keeps you from being in a place to achieve greatness.