Are You a Firefighter or a Master of Time?
“You get to decide where your time goes. You can either spend it moving forward or you can spend it putting out fires. You decide. And if you don’t decide, others will decide for you.”
I think this is one of the hardest things new entrepreneurs struggle with. I know I did.
I’ve learned, as a consultant and a virtual assistant, that people would love the opportunity to tell you what you should be doing. If you don’t define what your time looks like, and what you’ll be doing, you’ll have a whole slew of people at your doorstep telling you how you should spend your time.
This quote inspired me to look at how I view my time, which lead to the curiosity about the author. Who is Tony Morgan?
The Unstuck Group…?
A quick Google search brought me to the website Tony Morgan Live. The first thing I see on his website, in HUGE white letters, is “Trying to be strategic”. The second thing I see is the introduction. The introduction says that Tony Morgan is the founder and lead strategist of The Unstuck Group. What a name! (There’s a church with the same name too - The Unstuck Church!)
So what is The Unstuck Group? It’s a consulting company that helps churches who are stuck in a growth rut. I had to pause at this for a moment. I know that churches operate like a business, to an extent, but for some reason it didn’t dawn on me that churches would need consulting to ensure they’re continually growing and preserving to function and fulfill their mission.
In addition to having founded a church and a group with a fun name, he’s also an author, blogger, has a podcast, and does public speaking. All of these revolve around church and leadership and life cycle.
But talking church isn’t why this stuck out in my mind.
Tired of Fighting the Fires? Take Control!
Circling back around to the quote. I think there are a lot of reasons why people aren’t in control of what their time looks like. I think they want to be in control, but don’t know how. Maybe it’s a lack of confidence, maybe it’s an assumed expectation that someone’s pushed on them.
Or maybe it’s the fear of being in control. Being in control of your ti m e,and truly taking ownership of how you spend it, can be scary. You don’t have anyone directing you on what to do, and any mistakes you make are wholly you. It can feel safer to let someone else decide what you do with your time.
That, however, could be limiting you from experiencing the life you’ve been dreaming of.
It’s OK to say no to someone who’s trying to dictate your time. It’s OK to turn down an invitation or two to visit a networking group to work on a project you’re excited about. Guess what - it’s even OK to go on the occasional hiatus from the digital world (healthy even!).
With that said, I’m deciding now that, after this is published, I am using MY time to read a book I’ve been dying to get lost in.
Enjoy YOUR time this week!
