Awhile back I read a short narrative by Dr. Robert Schuller in which he described all of the activities he had given up along the way to achieving his ultimate purposes in life.
Like many of us who started young with very big goals (and very little money), early on he had a hand in virtually everything that needed to be done at his organization.
Promoter… yup.
Preacher… check.
Janitor… of course.
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The same held true for me. To be sure, there was no one else… I had to do it all, right?
Then again, I think sometimes it may have just been a control issue… an inability to delegate and follow up… or, maybe I just liked the idea of having everyone know how incredibly busy I was in my new company.
Whatever… it worked out in the end, though there is little doubt that I could have been much more effective in my work!
So, back to my story of Dr. Schuller.
Over the years, he gave up one activity after another… he retired from golf to focus on improving his leadership. He quit orchestrating various social events at his church to focus instead on important pieces of his ministry. And he eventually turned over all those critical ministry elements to other individuals who could do them about as well or better.
The story ended with his statement that he had recently hired a driver and had retired from fighting traffic in Southern California. As he rode in the back seat, the added time allowed him to organize his plans, formulate his thoughts, prepare talks on important subjects, and write books on leadership and living.
His point was that many of the activities we spend our time on could be done by someone else. On the other hand, there are very specific and critically important components of our goals that only we can complete, and it is those functions that should receive our undivided attention.
Hmm… I think my driver is waiting.
Questions:
If money were no object, what activities in your personal or professional life could you outsource to a third party?
If money were no object, could you buy back five hours this week? Ten hours? Twenty-five hours?
Where are you going to get the money?
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
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