Saying and Doing Are Two Different Things
Sometimes I say I’m going to do something, like put aside 10% of every check I receive. Yet doing it is another issue; sometimes I get so busy I forget to transfer the amount I had planned and then it doesn’t end up in the “savings” pile. There are so many subtle ways to completely contradict yourself, and in the end completely sabotage your future. Let me count a few: (Oh, and let me also add that the last two days I’ve been inspired by a couple things I’ve heard and witnessed first hand.)
- Buying a house, then wanting to dump it a few years later – You buy a house with the idea that it’s your dream home. After a few years, you realize you don’t like it anymore and want to move. However, you can’t because the market stinks. What ever made you think you loved that home to being with?
- Saving a portion of your income, only to realize you haven’t saved a dime- I had made a goal for myself: save at least 10% of my income this year. How’s my progress? Crappy.
- Hear a parent say, “He’s never done this before.” – Yeah, right lady. Just today he decided to throw a major tantrum and run in the opposite direction? Why don’t I believe you? P.S. If you continue to bribe him into an action you want to see, what do you think you’ll have to bribe him with when he’s 14?
- I’m going to set aside plenty of time for X activity, then rush to meet the deadline. – I map out my schedule and portion out the hours of my day. Then, as the week marches on, I realize I had many more commitments that time allowed. I’m completely screwed.
So what is a solution to sticking to your guns, so to speak; doing the things you actually set out to do? Probably the most important action is making sure what you say you’re going to do is possible. For instance, for me, I know that my income fluctuates throughout the year, maybe budgeting 10% monthly isn’t feasible. Instead, I need to look at the year as a whole.
What about that house your stuck in? Unfortunately, for most people they have two choices: stick it out and wait, OR sell it for possibly less than they bought it for. Of course there are other options, such as short sales, but this usually means the balance is due to the bank over a period of time.
As for overhearing parents use idol threats and bribery, there’s nothing much I can personally do on that end. But if the parent thought for a moment about their child’s future and how they child might perceive the world, “I will only do this if you give me that,” they might think twice about how to handle discipline. My example I’m using might sound trivial, like it’s no big deal, but idol threat after idol threat means big trouble in the future for both parent and child.
Time is something I can either manage wisely, or mismanage and then flies away without a care for my deadlines. My solution is beginning projects much earlier than originally planned. If I intended to begin a project on Monday, I might need to adjust that time frame and tell myself to begin it on Saturday or Sunday to get ahead of schedule. My work week would progress much smoother if most of my planned projects were completed by Sunday night or Monday at the latest.
This post is mostly to allow me to vent my frustrations of the week, but in a more positive fashion. I should have a smoother schedule next week, given that I follow my own advice.
Do you find yourself harried during certain times of the year? Does everything people say or do frustrate you during that time? Have you recently found yourself saying something, then doing the exact opposite?









