Urgency Schmirgency

Time is one weird mother.

Hard to understand, impossible to actually see and real easy to waste – that’s time for you.

Throughout my whole life, not one person ever sat me down to explain how time works. Time was just something that IS. Nothing to it, really.

“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”  Jim Rohn

Waste Not Want Not

In September 2008 I consulted a lawyer regarding a serious business issue which had the potential of critically extending my personal liability.

I know, you’re stuck in time…

My solicitor sternly urged me to act quickly on this particular matter through a brief, blunt email that likely cost me more than $20 per tart word. And now that I think of it, he also jabbed me about overdoing the self deprecation thing, too.

Anyway, I thanked him for the timely advice then proceed to do what I had done so often up to that point.

NOTHING. I heeded NOT ONE WORD of his wise council!

Within five months the very scenario he had imagined came to pass. I instantly found myself immersed in some very deep and very hot water – mostly because I had no sense of urgency. Tomorrow, tomorrow; it was always about tomorrow with me. I’ll make those tough decisions or unavoidable calls tomorrow, when I’m feeling stronger.

Oy, I feel ill all over again just recollecting this …

Who Rolled the TIME ball?

If I was more the blaming type this would all be laid upon the heads of a couple of unreasonable nineteenth century dudes whose moniker of BlackBall may have had historical impact on their hare-brained notion of time.

You see, back in 1817 most standard voyagers from New York were quite content to camp out under their wagon and wait for whenever their ship might sail, mostly because they’d be insane to contemplate anything else. That’s what folks did if they wanted to travel. They waited, waited and kept on waiting until wayfaring conditions were perfect.

And perfect conditions usually meant:

1. Waiting until the cargo hold of the ship was filled: (this oft held conversation between seafarer and ground hugger is indicative of how long that might actually be)

Once BlackBalled, Never the same.

KOOKY POTENTIAL PASSENGER: “Pardon moi, El Capitaino. Do you have any idea when your good ship LATE ALREADY might sail?”

HUNGOVER, UNDERPAID CAPTAIN: “Well madam, do you have any idea who is over that hill? Please get back under your wagon and stay there until I call you.”

2. Then Waiting until enough sailors had been kidnapped: Not needed until condition number one was filled.

3. Finally Waiting for good weather, low war season and pirate days off in order to ensure favorable odds of getting to your destination.

Say YES to being BlackBalled!

It was a fairly one-sided arrangement that didn’t sit too well with the Blackball Brothers Shipping Lines and they devised some shocking TIME concepts which ensured their names would be forever equated with mud and even much worse. Mother BlackBall would have been impressed, I have no doubt.

And just what was the wild concept the BB Bros devised?

Schedules!

Once compiled and posted, these departure and arrival time tables kicked up quite a fuss from passengers and competitors alike. Ships sailing without being fully loaded or crewed?! Shoving off whether people had made it aboard or not?! In-friggin-sane!

But that’s exactly what the BlackBalls did. They set up schedules and followed them, no matter what.

The sheer madness of setting time frames irrespective of circumstances worked like a charm for the BlackBall Shipping Line and within two years their once scornful competitors were scrambling to reform their own haphazard time organization concepts in order to join the profitable predictive passage project.

ACT and You Shall Receive!

You don’t have to be a rocket surgeon to figure out that if folks don’t expect much to happen, that’s probably just what will hapen. Not Much.

And it’s pretty much common sense that once a person’s body is at rest, it tends to want to stay there. Why? Because activity is an unnatural state and organized activity is even a more unnatural state. Just work for any large “organization” and you’ll see what I mean.

I feel compelled to act in a planned manner and this activity is driving my success in a very strange, exciting way.  That once disturbing emotion which I confused with anxiety is now one of my very best friends and is the main reason why I’m writing this at 3:30 am after driving 7 hrs across the awesome vastness of the  Canadian west.

Give yourself the gift of TIME

Today I’m genuinely intrigued by the constant breeze of urgency which billows my life boat’s sails.

Perhaps one day it will float your raft, too.

Thank you, friend.

Barry out.