Bird Droppings August 15, 2011
Just Do It! – But when?

“I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” Helen Keller

I have always held a great respect for Helen Keller. To have overcome such odds and become the world traveler and speaker that she did is almost unfathomable. Maybe this is why the story of her childhood is entitled “The Miracle Worker”.

“There are two kinds of people: those who do the work, and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.” Indira Gandhi

As I read this morning these two statements stood out. These two great people were tremendously influential in their time. Helen Keller blind and deaf yet addressed world leaders and lectured throughout the world. Indira Gandhi daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru and the first woman prime minister of a leading world country. To simplify their remarks, “Don’t just sit there do something”. So often people sit and wait many times for someone else to do whatever needs to be done.

“Don’t wait for someone to take you under their wing. Find a good wing and climb up underneath it.” Frank C. Buraro

“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” Benjamin Franklin

Each day I see teachers and students hesitate, myself included, “I can get it done tomorrow” or “I can’t do it”. In the end so often what gets done is only adequate and could have been so much better. We hesitate, we procrastinate, and we except partial over a whole, and or we will take a 70% on a paper “its passing”. I see and hear red when I hear that and yet I remember when I too would accept that grade and walk away happy. It was less work and much less studying.

“Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!” Donald Gardner

“There is nothing so fatal to character as half finished tasks.” David Lloyd George

Everyday it takes effort to try and explain that it only takes a bit more effort a bit more energy for a A over a C. Is it human nature to seek the easy path in life?

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right”. Napoleon Hill

“Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard one makes it impossible.” George H. Lonmer

I had a student explain why it took so long for him to finish projects. He wanted to be sure it was right. I told him it was because he didn’t work at it. However he assured me it was seeking perfection was his down fall. But is it the data, the key to many choices in life. Yesterday my perfectionist unknowingly was observed for ten minutes. In each half of ten minutes anytime someone mention anything he would get up and walk over to see what it was or come over to me to see what I was doing. So in perfecting his work nearly two thirds of his time was getting out of doing it. I made a comment, “if you put that hard work from the three or four minutes out of ten you actually worked into all ten minutes you would be done in time and have plenty of time to spare”.

“How soon not now, becomes never.” Martin Luther

“Don’t wait for extraordinary circumstance to do good; try to use ordinary situations.” Charles Richter

We wait, we pause, and we hesitate so often in life. I wonder at what point in our evolutionary makeup pausing came in. Perhaps it was a modern contrivance, maybe with remote controls invention. I would think if you paused when a saber toothed tiger was chasing you it would only be once. It had to be when remote controls came around.

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” Haile Selassie

“During a very busy life I have often been asked, “How did you manage to do it all?” The answer is very simple. It is because I did everything promptly.” Richard Tangye

When it is time rather than putting off and often doing only a partial job of knowing when to and when not, but not wasting time either. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have back those ten minutes here and there?

“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.” Dawson Troutman

“The best labor saving device is doing it tomorrow” Source unknown

Each of us will have excuses for waiting but in the need perhaps we should put aside excuses and get the job done myself included. Today keep all in harms way on your mind and in your heart.
namaste
bird