Could Just Going With The Flow Actually Be Harmful To You?

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 2:22 pm

After listening to several training sessions where they mention how important having a schedule is, it made me start thinking…

I’ve been such an easy going person, just going with the flow… And I realized, that it was because I wanted to please everyone. Well, I’ve also realized that you can’t please everyone. Someone, somewhere, is going to be unpleased with you. And that’s okay. You don’t have to please everyone. It’s a perfectionist way of thinking and you need to drop that like a hot potato. Humans are not perfect. The important part is just trying to get it right most of the time.

A quote from Andy Andrew’s The Traveler’s Gift: “I understand that God did not put in me the ability to always make right decisions. He did, however, put in me the ability to make a decision and then make it right.”

The most important thing to gain from that quote is to just make the decision, and then go about the business of making the decision right.

Successful people make their decisions quickly and change their mind slowly. Unsuccessful people make their decisions slowly and change their mind quickly. Which group are you in?

Do you make your decision quickly and then go about taking the actions necessary to make that a successful decision? Or, do you hem and haw about it, finally decide to do whatever you were making a decision about, and then the moment you do, you think “Oh, goodness, was that the right thing to do”?

If you want to get anywhere in life, you need a mindset that will help you keep on track. If you are a mess in your mind, you will be of no value to anywhere else, so you need to get your mind squared away. Then you need to follow that up with the appropriate action steps. If you take no action, you can expect to receive nothing back.

So, back to my original thought. If you are easy going and just going with the flow, can that actually be harming you? I think it can. Afterall, if you are just going with the flow, you have no idea where you are going. And if you have no idea where you are going, how do you know if you’ve ever arrived? Or are even close to where you want to be?

Think of it like being on a ship at sea. You are just sailing aimlessly in the ocean, never knowing where the land is. Eventually, you will run out of food, water, and supplies and you will perish. But, if you know where the land is that you are aiming for, and chart a course to get there, your mission will be a success. You will arrive before running out of the food, water, and supplies that keep you going.

Scheduling is a popular subject on the training sessions I have attended. Scheduling your activities for the day gives you a road map to follow so that you know what you are supposed to be doing and when. It helps you stay on track and get the activities done that you need to be doing in order to attain the goal that you are shooting for.

So, stop going with the flow and figure out where it is that you want to be going and then chart your course of how you are going to get there! You can use a day planner, a spreadsheet, or perhaps Google Calendar. Just use something and quit wandering around aimlessly. Be a real captain on your voyage and know where you are going and what you need to do to get there!

One last thought to remember: It’s good to connect with others, but help others connect with you by sharing yourself with them through the uniqueness of YOU!

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Kelli Jacobson is a Networking Mompreneur. She is a Mom to a 1 1/2 year old son and has been involved in Internet Marketing now for over two years. Her specialties are blogging, social media, and free to low-cost marketing methods. If you would like to learn more about Kelli, please see Who Is Kelli Jacobson. See you on the inside!