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Saleslady Wisdom
by Denise Hedges
Here's my timeshare saleslady talking to me in a very matter-of-fact, non-salesy way, just the way a good coach would. Go figure!
"You aren't making the most of your timeshare points. You're not scheduling your vacations in advance, so you end up booking trips at the last minute, taking whatever's left, paying more money, and missing out on why you bought your points in the first place."
Okay, that made an impression. And it hit me like a splash of cold water. She's right! I've got this backwards.
Look, there are two ways to go about ordering your life and scheduling your activities.
You can do all the urgent stuff, throw in all the routine must-do activities, and then try to fit in the things that are important to you ... if you have any time left. You know, things like gardening, volunteering, spending time with friends and loved ones, learning to play the piano, and taking the trip you've always wanted to take. Or, you can carve out time for whatever's most important to you first and let the rest occupy whatever time you have remaining.
That's far from a new idea. Many of you are familiar with Steven Covey's famous bucket exercise that brilliantly illustrates the two options you have. My grandson gave his graduation speech two years ago around that idea. We wrote about that here.
I fully embrace the idea of making time for you, for those things you enjoy ... the things that make life worth living ... while letting the rest take care of itself. I coach my clients to do just that.
And yet, I run a business. I have a whooole lot to do. I'm not complaining. Business is great, but along with a thriving business comes a whooole lot of work. So, guess what tends to happen?
Yeah, I get swamped and, little by little, the urgent and the gotta-do activities start to eat up every available minute. Sure, I still set aside some time to exercise and read and take a couple days at the beach, but I've been looking at where I can squeeze the rich-full-life stuff in.
Mistake. But my timeshare lady straightened me out. No more squeezing. Schedule it in FIRST.
Hey, what can I say? She coached the coach, which just goes to show ya, we ALL have things to learn and re-learn. Just because you're a coach doesn't make you any different than anyone else. I just hope maybe you can learn something from my mistake.
Okay, so let's see. What's on my to-do list? Book a week in Charleston and a week in Aruba ASAP. Oh yeah, and then there's that trip to Italy next fall ...
Ahhhh! I feel better already.
Love,
Denise
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