By: D. A. Slinkard
It seems to me that January 2018 is going just as fast as the entire 2017 year, and I’m wondering when it is going to slow down. Then, I realize that time slows down for no one and we must be prepared to be victorious. Yes, victorious for 2018, as it seems the previous year was done and over with before many of us were able to achieve the hopes, dreams, and goals we thought we would have. So, I am going to ask you, “What are you waiting for when it comes to grabbing 2018 by the horns and slowing it down?”
The first few weeks of this year, I have been busy with a variation of activities from church, to work, to even just trying to stay warm. I am definitely not looking forward to the utility bill because I believe the heater has been running full blast pretty much all month. Honestly, this kind of weather makes me despise the people six months from now who will be complaining about how hot it is. There are always alternatives to every situation, and I would much prefer summer than winter any day of the year. If you are one of the people who complain about all the seasons, next time you go to say something, please just stop.
We are all busy in our lives, but we must make the decision to control our year. We have an idea of the goals and activities we want to complete, so now we need to map out the game plan as to what we are actually going to do to make this happen. Sometimes we make our goals and know the things we need to do, but put them on the back burner for later on when we have time. I am telling you from what I am already seeing in 2018, you are going to just have to do it. You are going to have to force the activities into your day. Otherwise, we are going to continue upon the same path we traveled down last year in which we get to December and we say, “Man, we sure left a lot undone. How did that happen?” Well, it happened because we enabled it to happen. We allowed the distractions to take place, we allowed ourselves to say, “I’ll do that tomorrow,” and tomorrow was replaced with something else.
At this point the year is almost 1/12 of the way through as we draw closer and closer to February. My question for you is how close are you today to your goal versus where you were on the 1st of January? This can be a tough question, but it can also be a revealing question to help see how positive or negative your year is going. If you are in the same position at the beginning of the year, then you are not taking the necessary steps to achieve success in 2018. It will not happen because you are not doing enough to make it happen. What will you do differently to make sure you hit the goal? What will you do differently to make sure you are your own definition of success?
We live in the land of opportunity, but some people will tell you that is a falsehood. Anyone who suggests you should give up on your hopes and dreams, just know that they are a person who has already given up on theirs. These are not the kind of people you should be wanting to take advice from because they will lie to you about other things. I personally think you should brainstorm about all the things you want in life, picture the career you would want, the house you would want to live in, and then think about how you can achieve that success. Sadly though, too many of us know what we want, but we become too lazy when it comes to the thinking part of the how to get it.
There are people every day who know what they want, and they take the time to think about how they are going to do it. We have these very people in Athens, Alabama, but many of us lie to ourselves and say that could not happen to me. This way of thinking must change for you to have an impact in 2018 and realize that just because someone else cannot do something, it does not mean that you cannot. What are you waiting for?
By: D. A. Slindard
D.A. Slinkard is the manager of the Athens Staples store
