The wise man does at once what the fool does finally. – Niccolò Machiavelli
"What do you want on your tombstone?" "I'd like pepperoni and sausage. And cheese, lots of cheese. Oh, you don't mean the pizza, do you?" This is a little light hearted, but serious as well. See the very bottom for the reference.
What does that mean?
This is another bit of advice to the ‘Princes’ of Italy in the city-state era. Here he talks of decisiveness and wisdom. The wise man, on noticing a problem or on having a problem pointed out, will do what needs to be done to rectify the situation. After a due consideration and planning, the Prince will enact the plan to accomplish the desired solution to the problem.
The fool, after the problem has been brought to their attention, will dally, ponder, form committees and otherwise waste time. This allows the problem to grow unhindered. Finally, when immediate action is required to avoid disaster, the fool will act. What could have been solved easily and quickly is now a life-and-death struggle for the fool. Don’t be a fool.
Why is time important?
In the example, it was posited that the wise man acted with the minimum of wasted time, while the fool maximized the wasted time before being forced to act. It’s the difference between seeking immediate medical attention for a serious cut, compared to waiting until the area around the cut is turning a nasty color. One leads to some stitches and antibiotics, the other to an amputation. Don’t be a fool.
Rarely do problems go away on their own. However, many of us (myself included) will, from time to time, ignore something until it is nearly too late before taking action. And if everything doesn’t go perfectly, sometimes it is too late. That’s not very wise, is it?
Where can I apply this in my life?
We all procrastinate from time to time. Today’s blog is an example. I had plenty of time, but I chose to do other, less important things all day. Now I have to get this done this evening for publication overnight. It’s not impossible, but it isn’t the pinnacle of wisdom. I was a fool.
What things are you delaying? What are the problems in your life that you are ignoring, putting off, delaying until it’s almost too late? Grab some paper and write a few down, and leave some space between each one. Write down anything dealing with work, chores, assignments, projects, health issues, or anything else. Anything and everything that you are putting off.
Are you putting off exercising and eating right? What are you waiting for, a heart attack? I hope not, that would be foolish, right? But you’re probably not that overweight, it can be put off until January, right? You’ll get a membership at a gym, go a few times, then let it coast until next year. I hope not, that would be foolish, wouldn’t it?
For me, the biggest problem with a short term burst of exercise is that it tends to get me eating more, to fuel the extra effort of exercise. Then I stop exercising but do I scale back the eating? If not, the problem just got worse. I would recommend starting with something you can keep up with, even if it’s just walking around the block. Eventually it’s two blocks. Eventually, you need a walk more than you need coffee. Well, maybe not, but you get the idea.
What’s on your list? Look at each item and think about what the end result of failing to get it done. For diet and exercise, can you imagine how bad the results could be if you had a heart attack? Worst case is you are dead and everyone who knew you is sad. Do this for each entry on your list. The more powerful you make the result, the better it will work.
Please don’t diminish any of the results. In the case of diet and exercise, don’t say the worst case is I gain a little weight. That won’t get your butt out of the couch and exercising. Don’t say that failing to complete an assignment at work will get you yelled at, in this economy it might very well get you fired.
Now, select the one item on your list that means the most to you. Don’t worry, you can come back later and pick up the others on the list, let’s just focus on one for now. Ready? It’s time to scare the Dickens out of yourself, with the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.
Imagine yourself traveling down the path of wasting precious time. See your fate growing worse. See how badly things go when you have finally run out of time. Let it get worse and worse. Feel the pain of the end result. Feel how badly it makes others feel, the people who hoped you would get it done in time, the people who rely on you, the people who were rooting for you.
If you made the result sufficiently catastrophic, you should be feeling pretty down. Use this negative emotion to motivate you. Tell yourself that you will not walk that path, and that you will do something about it right now. Not later, that’s the fool’s path. Now! Take the first step. Figure out what you can do this moment. Use the internet to find some information, a coach, a business, a group, a phone number. Do something, before it’s too late!
Yes, that was kind of harsh, but you have become complacent with your situation. Objects at rest require an outside force to get them moving. You were traveling the fool’s path, and the destination wasn’t very pretty, was it? As always, you will only get out of this what you put into it. I hope you have changed your path, and will use your time more wisely. I know that I will be doing so.
From: Twitter, @PhilosophyQuotz
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/niccolomac120254.html
Photo by cliff1066™
