When Yes Means No

I'm writing this much later in the day than I had originally planned and wished. It's disappointing. I said "yes" to numerous demands and distractions which leeched away precious time I had set aside to think and write.

Every time we say "Yes" to something, it means we say "No" to every alternative.

All too often, the things we say Yes to are the trivial but urgent, non-essential tasks that come disguised as work. When we allow this to happen, that Yes erases time we could've invested in efforts that are truly essential to us - like writing, training, or time with loved ones.

Time is precious mostly because it's finite. We have all of it we may ever be given. All we have is now.

Interestingly, out of all our blessings, time is the only one of which we get equal portions. I get 24 hours a day, same as you.

How we invest that gift may be the most crucial decision we make throughout our days, weeks, and years.

I think of my time in terms of "impact hours." These are the blocks during any given day in which I am making a measurable impact on the areas of my life that are most essential to me - my faith, family and friends, my healthspan, and growing MidStrong, in that order of priority.

We can't manage what we don't measure. So, I track my impact hours daily. Just a simple tally that I measure against previous days/weeks and against the plan I had for the day. I also keep a running list of "Stuff I Got Done Today". It's a crude pen and paper method in my notebook. Works for me.

I always include my hours spent training. Those are essential impact hours. They are the key to my present physical energy, focus, and mental well-being and crucial to my future cognitive acuity and physical capabilities. Each hour invested now bears a massive dividend on my long-term healthspan.

Our choices define us. They decide our present and determine our future. Do you have clarity on what is truly essential in your life? Are your choices for how you invest your time in alignment?

Much of what we do at MidStrong is to guide our members toward a more fruitful investment of their impact hours.

We firmly believe that the best years of our life can happen at any age - so why not now?

Work it. Live it. Keep it.

MidStrong is for life.