Remember What Matters

May 26, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Make sure your priorities stay top-of-mind.

Not everything is equally important.

One of the main reasons we don’t move forward is we forget that we cannot do everything all the time. We stress ourselves out thinking of how much we have to do. We then get overloaded and shut down.

Take time to remember what really matters by using the “Five Year Rule.”

As yourself if anyone will really know or care about this event five years from now.

If the answer is “No,” let it go. Get to it when you can – if you want to.
If the answer is “Yes,” it’s important. Take care of it as soon as you can. Then take a moment for yourself.

Do not mistake activity for accomplishment.

Choose Your Battles Carefully

June 24, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Choose your battles carefully.

Yes, it’s important to stand up for what you believe in.

Equally true, it’s essential to be true to who you are.

However, it’s also necessary to understand which battles require us to draw a “line in the sand.”

Before launching forward, take a moment to ask yourself:

Is this the hill I want to “die on?” In other words, how important is this argument to me really?
What is my intention in fighting this fight? Am I just trying to prove I’m smarter or I know more? Am I trying to put someone else down for his or her past “wins” when we’ve argued before?
If I win this argument, what will be the cost to my relationship and my self-esteem? Is it worth it?
Would I rather be happy or be right? In the end, I think we’d rather have been happy most of our life instead of correct most of our life. (Of course, we are sometimes both.)

Wait a few minutes to decide what you want to do before you move forward.

Not every issue requires a battle.

Sometimes, it’s OK – probably even preferable – to just “let it go.

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Why Does it Matter?

March 4, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Why does what you want to do matter?

This is not an idle question.

Too often, we don’t make the changes we say we want because in reality the results don’t matter enough.

Oh, sure, they’re important. Yes, we’ll appreciate them. However, since we only have so much time in a day, something has to go and that’s not an easy rearrangement.

If the new habit isn’t important to us on an emotional level (even if it is on a logical level), we will not move forward.
If there is no urgency, we will not move forward.
If it’s not being done for us, but rather to appease someone else or because we “should,” we will not move forward.

To bust through these barriers and get over the wall of stagnation:

Set a specific time-related deadline (make it realistic).
Write down – and review regularly – how you will feel when you do the work it will take, rather than how much work you feel you have to do.
Reward yourself for every small step you take. Don’t wait until the end – or you’ll never get there.

Yes, it takes work, but if you focus on the benefits of that effort – instead of the effort – you will be successful.

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Prioritize! Prioritize! Prioritize!

November 26, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Understand that – especially during this time of year – no one person can get it all done.

Some things will have to be left by the wayside.

Be patient with yourself for what you cannot get done.

Be patient with others for the same reason.

Every Monday, a new motivational memo is posted. Subscribers to ThisTimeIMeanIt.com’s coaching service get this – and many more benefits – sent to them directly. If you’d like to know more, follow this link.

Where are my Crayons?

February 15, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

I was “row monitor” in second grade; sitting in the last seat making sure the students in my row behaved. On this day, all was quiet; no one messed with the law when Scott was around. My enforcement duties complete, I was able to turn my attention to the current “quiet time,” period that daily session where we did whatever we wanted, just so it was without sound. Priority one was schoolwork; so I pulled out my assignment list; decorated with pencil-drawn army men and a poorly drawn reproduction of Mighty Mouse. Nothing was pending so I re-filed it, still seeking something to occupy my time.

When our assignments were up to speed, we were allowed to retrieve our coloring books and engage our more artistic personae. Eagerly, I flipped pages, seeking the perfect image on which I could express by imaginative abilities. Alas, I had used all 64 colors on every image; every page had been filled; nothing remained

Sadly, I folded my hands on my desk, looked up at the ticking clock and waited. I had nothing to do, probably the last time in my life that has ever happened.

Fast-forward 50 years…

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