We all procrastinate. It's natural to put off doing something that is unpleasant, boring, or seems unnecessary at the time. Many of you reading this have vacation at this time of year and you may be getting around to doing something that you've put off like cleaning out the basement or having the tires rotated and balanced on your car. Maybe you are thinking of taxes and have decided to try to get all your receipts together in one place. These are minor things that really don't have a major effect on your future over the next three years. That said, there IS something that many people procrastinate on that does affect their future.
There are two things you shouldn't be caught dead without - a will and a resume. The will's function is obvious but putting off having a resume developed can mean you miss opportunities that come your way that you didn't expect. So many people come to us in a desperate situation because an opportunity has arisen out of the blue and they are unprepared with a strong resume. We work fairly quickly but an effective, executive level resume cannot be written in 24 hours. Often, opportunities are missed because the client procrastinated having a professional resume developed earlier.
I was eating at a deli yesterday and was watching one of the workers. The lady was probably in her late twenties, maybe early thirties and obviously pregnant. She was wiping down the tables, sweeping, etc. She had been the one who had taken my order and I had noticed during that interaction that she was very subdued and kept her eyes down. I started thinking, What makes for the differences between her life and mine?
As I sat there, I came to the obvious conclusion at which most observers would arrive - socio-economic background. But the more I thought about that, I wondered if all the blame could be laid at that doorstep. After all, I was a product of the public school system, probably just like her. I worked my way through school, actually starting working at age 14 to pay for my clothing and other teenage incidentals. My parents were divorced and I was from a small town with few good jobs available. So what was the difference?
I came to the conclusion that it was not the opportunities that were presented but rather the readiness to take advantage of those opportunities. Add in the choices that are made and you have either a recipe for success or an outline for mediocrity. If you are not ready to jump at good opportunities as they are presented to you or come your way, you are making a choice for mediocrity.
No leader was ever a procrastinator. Leaders are always ready and prepared for whatever comes their way whether it is positive or negative. They have a plan - actually, they have several plans, some main plans and some contingency plans. They are proactive, not reactive.
So what are you going to be in 2007? Proactive or reactive? Isn't it time to stop procrastinating and DO SOMETHING?