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A Moment to
Act
by Lee J.
Colan, Ph.D.
(This report is an excerpt from the book
"7 Moments… That Define Excellent Leaders".)
In 7 Moments… That Define Excellent Leaders, the
third moment is a Moment to Act. Picture
this – at birth, all you have is a jar of 27,375 jellybeans –
one for every day of an average 75-year life expectancy.
Since that first birthday, you’ve taken a
jellybean out with each passing day. By the time you were 21
and ready for your first full-time job or to begin your career,
you have used up 8,665 jellybeans, leaving only 18,710 pieces in
the jar of your life.
Over our lifetime, you’ll spend
approximately 28 years sleeping, 25 years working, 14
years watching TV, 8 years eating, 7.5 years in leisure or
miscellaneous activities and 3.5 years getting dressed.
Our lives are a countdown. Time is our
most precious resource. It’s all we have. Whether prisoner or
prince, world leader or struggling citizen, we each have the
same amount of time to excel. Once we lose it, we never get it
back. As a result, life rewards those who seize their time and
take action.
Sometimes our actions get lost in our
intentions. Have you ever heard someone say, “I intended to
tell her how important she is to our team before she left,” or
“I intended to volunteer last weekend,” or “I meant to vote this
past election,” or “I intended to keep my commitment, but…?"
Well, the truth is, we judge ourselves by our intentions, but
others judge us by our actions.
I remember talking with a good friend who
was 30 years old at the time. He really regretted never going
to medical school but still carried a passion for being a
doctor. One night, he started his familiar lamenting, “Well, it
was just a dream. It’s too late now. It takes at least five
years and I will be 35 years old by the time I am finished with
medical school.” I then asked, “How old will you be in five
years if you don’t go to medical school?”
My friend understood the point. In five
years, he would be 35 years old whether or not he acted upon his
dream. At that moment, he decided to make every minute count.
Life’s rewards – a winning team, loving
relationships, meaningful work, financial security, time to
recreate, leaving a lasting legacy – come to those who act
to bring them about, although life isn’t always easy and there
are plenty of excuses not to excel. Excellence
belongs to those who let their actions rise above their
excuses. Learn more about how our actions shape
our attitude from
Orchestrating Attitude.
Here is my favorite poetic reminder of the
value of every minute.
To realize the value of four years, ask a
graduate.
To realize the value of one year, ask a student who has failed
a final exam.
To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who has given
birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week, ask an editor of a weekly
newspaper.
To realize the value of one hour, ask a job candidate waiting
for his interview.
To realize the value of one minute, ask a person who has
missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second, ask a person who has
survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond, ask the person who
has won a silver medal in the Olympics.
Time waits for no one.
And, of course, my favorite movie on
achieving excellence is
The Nature of
Excellence.
Treasure each
moment you have and act on each one you can!
Copyright © 2008 by Lee J. Colan
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