Tardiness often robs us opportunity, and the dispatch of our forces. – Niccolò Machiavelli
Were you tardy? Did the trolley leave without you? What other opportunities has tardiness cost you? Is it time to change your behavior?
What does that mean?
This quote is another in a long series of truisms which warn us against sloth, procrastination, and other forms of time wasting. This quote speaks of the possibility of squandering an opportunity through not taking action soon enough.
Specifically, it talks about the ‘dispatch of our forces,’ a fairly martial statement in all likelihood. However, like most quotes, I believe it can be applied to the lives of all people in all times, not just the Princes of the Renaissance era.
The quote implores us to act quickly when opportunity presents itself. To act before we lose the chance to ‘dispatch our forces,’ whether they be investing in a startup, helping a friend (or a stranger), or introducing yourself to that special someone you just spotted across the room.
Why is action important?
Tardiness, or waiting too long, is probably the easiest way to miss out on life. How many times have you stared at the phone, wanting to call, but not ready to actually pick it up. You wait, hoping it will ring, sparing you from having to call. Then you look at the clock and realize it’s too late. As a terminally shy guy, that was the story of my teenage life.
The same problem can arise for trips, business deals or anything else that has an expiration date. Well, perhaps not the milk in the refrigerator, but pretty much anything else. If you fail to act, if you are tardy, you may find the opportunity has left without you.
On the other hand, if you do take action, you can participate, and dispatch your forces, as it were. Whether it’s getting to a meeting at work before they close the door, or getting to the party before the room is full (or all the munchies or drinks are consumed), you need to act to get there.
Where can I apply this in my life?
There were a few possibilities listed in the paragraphs above. Recently, the family was going to take a quick vacation. First we worked on booking the hotel, then I delayed before attempting to get tickets for an event that was going to be in town.
By the time I got around to acting, it had sold out. Fortunately, we were able to find other fun things to do, but it wasn’t exactly what we had planned on doing. By being tardy, I wasn’t able to ‘dispatch my forces’ and secure the tickets before they ran out. Bummer. Lesson learned.
What things have you been delaying the taking of action? Where do you tend to be a little tardy? What has it cost you over the years, in terms of lost opportunities? I use the loss of opportunity as leverage to help me stay a little more focused on action. Will that work for you, the fear or feeling of loss?
We all have moments of indecision, of hesitation. That’s only natural. However, with training and a little decisiveness, we can be a bit less hesitant and a bit more decisive. The problem is the reasons for indecision are different for each of us.
Earlier, I asked you to consider what tasks you have been delaying, and to think about when you tend to delay or otherwise be tardy. Grab some paper and write down a few of the ones on which you would like to work. Take a moment to look them over and select the one on which you wish to start.
Look at the difficulty you have selected. Write down all the reasons you can think of that contribute to this difficulty continuing to occur. Why do you keep doing it? Now, take a few more moments to brainstorm and write down a few ideas about what you can do to try to stop each of them in turn.
Once you have a couple ideas on how to either break the habit or avoid it altogether, select the ones you want to try first and circle, star, or otherwise mark them so you can easily find them next time you feel an attack of tardiness coming on.
I find it helpful to have something to help keep me motivated. I tend to use emotional energy, and since most of us are willing to do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure, I try to find negative consequences to associate with the procrastination or tardiness that is the core of this quote.
Take a moment and write down a couple of things you can have if you act in a reasonable and prudent fashion, as opposed to being tardy. Then write down about twice as many things you will lose or problems you will end up with if you are not prompt, but are tardy. I hope your list is motivational, I know mine is!
Now, all that is left is to take the first step. What can you do to get started? Even something as simple as writing yourself a note, scheduling some time tomorrow, or talking to a friend about your plans for being a little more decisive in taking action.
From: Twitter, @thequotemaster
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/niccolomac383742.html
Photo by Rodrigo_Soldon
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