Questions of the Day: Let’s revisit the twin concepts of Purpose and Time Management. Are you purposeful and efficient in your use of time? How do you monetize your time, skills, energy and network? How are you spending your time when you are with family, at work or at play?

At the end of each day, can you account for how you spent your day? The #1 key to success is the ability to leverage time. Time management is really self-management. Are you leading yourself to excellence? Is your use of time aligned with your vision for your life?

For instance, do you have a clear understanding of the purpose for your activities e.g If you spend a lot of hours on social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc), do you have a mission for doing so?

Is it to network with friends/family (social interaction), to sell products/services, build up a loyal following/list for a future venture, to grow professionally, for personal development, to find Joint Venture partners to collaborate with, to mentor others or be a mentee, to brand yourself ? etc

None of these reasons is right or wrong but it is important that you identify and understand your purpose. Without purpose, our use of time becomes rudderless! Until you can account for and become responsible for your time, success may seem elusive.

WWN Reflection DAY 11: Take ACTION and Transform Your Life!

Today’s focus is about living a life of purpose. In particular, the urgency of making a decision to actually begin to live your life on purpose, with purpose. Are you living your best life right now? If not, what exactly is holding you back? Are there important people you want to appreciate or goals you wish to achieve? What are you waiting for? Look around you, do you realize that people are dying daily? We’re all here by providence, by the sheer grace of God, our creator. Be very careful how you spend your time, you are always responsible for your tongue, action, choices and use of TIME. 

Whatever you CHOOSE to focus on will expand! In whatever situation you find yourself, good or bad, happy or sad, triumphant or challenging, choose to focus on the learning, focus on how you can teach others with your experience, focus on how you can reach out and add value through that experience! This singular focus is what directs your use or (mis)use of time! In the words of Tony Robbins; “You cannot have a plan for your day if you do not have a plan for your life.”

A year ago, I attended the Laptop Millionaire summit facilitated by the dynamic duo of Steven Essa and Mark Anastasi. They shared a lot of insightful ideas and marketing strategies, specifically about using social media to catapult your business to unparalleled success.  However, one of my most memorable experiences at their weekend training was an exercise they shared with the audience about the sacredness of time and purpose in life.

Description of the simple yet insightful exercise: 

1. Think of what the life-span is for the average woman or man in your country of residence. Or simply choose an age that you would wish to live up to. For example, pick an age such as 80 years.

2.Then draw boxes for each decade. So for 80, draw 8 boxes.

3. Are there goals you hope to achieve when you’re between 70 and 80? Is this when you want to dress well, earn money, travel, impact the world, be there for your family, children or spouses? In most cases, this is the decade people, especially women want to simply enjoy their grand/great-grand children. And even if you wanted to be adventurous, the reality is that you may be faced with the challenge of age, lack of energy or perhaps health issues such as Arthritis, osteoporosis, dementia etc. may not permit it.

4. So on those 8 boxes cross out the last box. You now have 7 boxes left.

5. Cross out the boxes that correspond to your age now. So if you’re 30, cross out 3 boxes, if you’re 40 cross out 4 boxes.

6. Now look at the boxes remaining; those are the decades you have left to really LIVE, enjoy and make an impact!

7. Fill in each of those decades with 10 key goals you wish to accomplish. Make your goals really BIG. It doesn’t cost you a thing to dream, so go for it!

The above exercise is based on the assumption that we all live to the ripe old age of 80, this may not hold true for all of us! You have a choice to fill up those boxes with the life you desire, you are a co-creator your destiny! Everyday we are gifted with life is a brand new opportunity to give it our best shot. Each day we are alive is another day closer to death. This is the reality we sometimes refuse to grasp and address.

The moral of this exercise is to provide a compelling push for you to get off the toxic fence and to encourage you to get out there and live your absolute best life NOW because now is really all you’re guaranteed and whether you do or not, life will still happen! It is a choice,  your choice! Begin to become more aware of every second that you’ve been given in life and make sure you’re adding value, sowing seeds of joy, progress and love. Get out of your comfort zone, why settle for normal or comfortable? You have the ability to be amazing and magnificent. It is all a matter of CHOICE!

Have fun filling out your life’s boxes!

Join the conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wholewomannetwork

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The preceding is a guest post from Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido, MBA –Co-Founder and Executive Director of Whole Woman Network. Juliet is the author of the upcoming books: “UN-Locking Your HeArt of Leadership”  and “Today, I Will Not Bow”.  A self-described Life-Connoisseur, who loves life and the whole human experience, Juliet was nicknamed a ‘reminderist’,  [one who reminds us of that which we already know; that we are not fractured or broken and NOW is the perfect time to replace that fallacy with a new, beautiful truth: we are worthy, complete, whole and our life journey is to return to wholeness]!

She is a passionate advocate of WomEntrepreneurship, Leadership, Investment & Financial Literacy for women and youth (especially girls). Her mission is simply to raise a new generation of  transformational leaders in Africa by engaging, educating and empowering women, regardless of their levels of income or background, to return to ‘wholeness’ and live Healthier, Sexier, Wealthier Lives using Faith-based, Scientific and Universal (Common-Sense) principles! Follow her on Twitter: @wholewomaninc, @julietumeinc. Enjoy some of her portfolio of poems on her Floetry Blog and follow her daily reflective posts on Facebook.

Her message is simply: “To use the power of written-spoken-sung WORDS to connect, heal, empower, change and transform our inner and outer worlds. Words have power in the meaning and interpretation we choose to give them and all of life is synchronistic poetry in motion! Are you telling empowering stories about yourself and others?”