Wednesday, January 15, 1997

Think Ahead, Work Ahead, Be Ahead

What will tomorrow be like? Well, that’s a very good question. The answer depends primarily on what you do today. Tomorrow will be like... whatever you plan and work for it to be. The same goes for next week, next month, next year, and so on.

If you don’t really have a plan, then tomorrow will be left to chance. You’ll drift along with whatever comes by. There’s nothing wrong with that, if you like drifting. But if you want more direction, if you have something you’d like to do, or be, or have tomorrow, then you need to start planning and working for it today.

Here’s something to remember -- the further ahead you plan, the more control you have. Take, for example, flying on a commercial airline. If you show up at the airport, with no ticket, 30 minutes before the flight is leaving, you’ll be lucky just to get a seat, and you’ll pay the airline’s highest fare. If, however, you plan your trip 3 months in advance, you get your choice of seat, you can often even choose your in-flight meal, and you can probably get a substantial discount on the fare.

Why do airlines reward you for planning ahead? Because it enables them to plan ahead and to allocate their resources in the most efficient and effective manner. Why should you plan ahead in all areas of your life? Same reason -- so you can make the very most of what you have.

Think ahead. What will be happening in 3 months, 6 months, 2 years? You’ll have to deal with the details eventually, so why not start dealing with them now? Planning ahead always gives you more options, plus you’ll get more for the money or effort involved.

What can you do today to make tomorrow go more smoothly? What can you do today to make next week more productive? How can you act today to make your life better one month from now? Or 6 months from now? Or 5 years? Think about it. And get started today, right now, on a better tomorrow.

— Ralph Marston

Make it count       Yes, but...

Copyright ©1997 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.