Done Too Soon?

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”  – Life’s Little Instruction Book

A friend had posted this on Facebook as a reminder of the simple truth that there are 24 hours in a day and that everyone gets the same allotment -- nothing more, nothing less. Great or small, time favors no one. In thinking about this, I was reminded of an old Neil Diamond song called "Done Too Soon". In the song, he mentions name after name of people that have walked the earth -- both famous and infamous. A rapid-fire role call of names I recognized and others that I didn't at the time, but have heard of since. After a couple verses of this name game, he shifts into a very moving chorus and a sobering reminder for all of us. He says: "They have sweated beneath the same sun, and looked up in wonder at the same moon -- and wept when it was all done, for being done too soon."

As the years go by, we become increasingly aware that time really does march on and that it waits for no one. So, doesn't it make sense to focus our time on the things that matter most and have the most impact -- both in our business and our personal life? Shouldn't we spend our precious hours on the Vital Few and not the Trivial Many? What separates the aforementioned people from the rest of us? Could it be that they had a Clear Vision, Focused Priorities, and unrelenting Self-Discipline?

We really can't say we don't have enough time. Rather, we must admit that we just haven't learned to use it. Its not too late. Seek help and make the change before you're ... Done Too Soon.