Once when I was a leader in a networking group, my cell phone rang on the way to a weekly meeting. The member was calling to let me know that he had a tire blowout and was not going to make the meeting that morning. He also shared that he’d been procrastinating taking care of his vehicle and knows that he had done so, this wouldn’t have happened. So what did it cost him that day?
My colleague missed the meeting and therefore would score an absence for not having a sub to take his place on such short notice. What he didn't know was that he was being referred business by other members; he wasn’t there to receive it and personally thank them for thinking of him. And did he have any business to pass to others who now had to wait longer to receive it? By not planning, he now had to deal with the unexpected, adding unnecessary stress to his Tuesday.
Do we even know how events like this can throw us off of our axis for the rest of the day or even the week for that matter? Perhaps we even get angry with ourselves because we know we could have done something to bring about different events. The lesson to learn is that when we don’t take the time to plan more, we can expect to fail more. Many of my coaching clients learn this when I’m working with them. The difference is that when another person observes it, it holds them accountable; possibly reducing the likelihood that it will happen in the future. It’s inevitable that the important things we don’t take care of will suddenly become urgent ones. This causes us to operate out of a reactionary mode and that’s counterproductive to meeting our goals. And their ramifications can have a domino effect. So look at the time you’re spending planning and plan to succeed!
"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."
- John F. Kennedy