With so many fascinating opportunities before you each day, how do you
decide which are for you? Start by asking yourself these nine questions to
help you judge whether an action is appropriate for you.
1. DOES THIS EARN A LIVING FOR ME? In a material world, we all have
responsibilities that cannot be ignored.
2. CAN I LEARN FROM THIS? Can I grow as a human being by doing this
particular piece of work? Will I acquire new skills or insights?
3. IS IT USEFUL? Who is depending on me to do this and why? Sooner or later
any piece of useful work involves us with other people. Will this action bring
me together with people in a worthwhile way?
4. WILL OTHERS BENEFIT? HOW? This can be an overriding consideration for many
activities!
5. WILL I EVER HAVE A CHANCE TO DO THIS AGAIN? Some opportunities are a once-
in-a-lifetime deal. Is this one of them? Or am I pretending it is because I
want to do it so badly?
6. AM I DOING THIS BECAUSE I'M THE RIGHT PERSON? OR BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL?
What would happen if I didn't do it? Am I really the only person for the job,
or can this be delegated?
7. WHAT WILL I HAVE TO PUT ON HOLD TO DO THIS? What is the tradeoff? How will
it affect my immediate and future life? What sacrifices will I and those
around me have to make?
8. AM I BEING BLACKMAILED? Are any of my activities the result of "emotional
blackmail"? (Blackmail is a contract between two people or even two groups. It
can be clearly stated or extremely subtle, but it only works when both agree
to play. We should not accept emotional blackmail from others, just as we
should not try to blackmail them ourselves. Often society provides us with
only a vague line between good manners and being taken advantage of, between
being a fair and upright person and being a sucker. It's up to us to make the
line clear and strong, both for ourselves and for others.)
9. CAN I HAVE FUN? Ultimately, if I don't need to do it and don't have to do
it and I can't enjoy at least some aspect of it, then it's probably not worth
doing.
HIGH OR LOW?
When you invest your time, you want to invest it in high-return projects.
The lists below provide a profile of the activities with the potential for the
highest return.
CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH-PAYOFF ACTIVITIES
Directly related to my goals
Might not be pleasant
Tend to involve risk
Might be difficult
Can't be delegated
Important
CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW-PAYOFF ACTIVITIES
Not related to my goals
Comfortable to do
No risk involved
Routine
Noncreative, anyone can do it
Trivial
Investing your time and energy is like investing your money. You may risk
it and lose it. But risk spells the difference between getting what you want
and sitting on the sidelines, between your potential and your performance.
Whenever you make a pro-active decision about which activities deserve
your energy, you take the sting out of the most arduous and burdensome ones.
It's what you want to be doing, and you're clear about why. Then you can
approach your tasks as worthy of your fullest attention and enthusiasm.
What are the chances that people who see an activity as boring, tedious,
or beneath them will make a powerful difference? And what are the chances
that people with a passionate, positive vision of what they are doing will
fail to make a difference? That's you!
(611 words)
