virgin islands scene

The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.
-- Theodore Roosevelt
 

 

Monday, February 26, 2001

Make a list

When you make a list of things you need to do, you’re much more likely to get them done. When you write down your goals, you’re much more likely to achieve them. When you compile a written list of problems and challenges, they are far more likely to be resolved.

Making a list will align some powerful forces in your favor -- commitment and control. When you put something in writing, the very act of doing so produces an undeniable degree of commitment. Writing, whether with a pen, a keyboard or a stylus, is a concrete, physical activity. It is an ideal first step for translating your thoughts into action. It is evidence of your commitment which you can hold in your hands, and which can command your attention until the goal is accomplished.

Putting together a list of challenges, goals, or things to do also serves to put you in control. By putting your problems in writing, you assume control over them. By writing down your goals, they move from being things you desire to being things you’re bringing about.

What do you need to do? What do you wish to achieve? What problems do you have to solve? Make a list. Write them down and you’ve taken the first important step to getting them done.

— Ralph Marston

previousExperience life       Seek balancenext

Copyright ©2001 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.