There have been times over the years when my family has had to take two cars to get someplace. Inevitably, this leads to a race. To be honest, I don’t like this. It just seems to me that the race becomes reckless. I struggle with each driver taking a little more risk and hoping to get lucky with the traffic lights and more.
This competition seems to encourage faster speeds, breaking the law and doing things a driver would not (and perhaps, should not) normally do. While at times in the past, I have participated in these races, I have found more recently that I do not find them enjoyable and I no longer want to participate.
You may think I am negative or just being silly, and you may be correct. However, the real reason I am choosing to no longer participate in these races is because I do not believe in relying on luck. In my life, I truly want to win!
Recently, a friend of mine shared something about winning with me. She told me the word “Win” can be an acronym to help us live a better life. She said “WIN” means “What’s Important Now.” I loved this and could not stop thinking about it.
Let’s face it! We live in a very distracting and distracted world. There are so many things clamoring for our attention every day. It is too easy to get off track and forget what matters most. This line from the 1983 movie, Mr. Mom has been a favorite quote of mine:
“It’s real easy to forget what’s important, so don’t!”
You all know from my columns that I have strong feelings about distracted driving! You know even more that I am on a crusade against distracted living. Never in the history of the world have we had more things to divert us from what really matters most!
It is critical for us to learn to focus on what is important now!
It is too easy to neglect our kids for our cell phones. It is much too tempting to “pop in a movie” instead of having a conversation or playing a game. It is simpler to go to dinner and a movie (while staring into our phones) and not be engaged in meaningful dialogue and activity.
I find if I ask myself, “Jim, What’s important now?” I am better able to reflect on the best activities I could be engaged in. Granted, I do not always do what is best or most important, but I am striving so to do. I want to do what is best—what is most important right now.
You can see it all around us! People everywhere have forgotten what is truly important now! Let’s not be that way!
Let’s not hope we get lucky and have our kids turn out to be responsible adults. Let’s focus on what is most needful now and act upon it. Let’s be intentional parents who take the time to really teach and love our children!
Let’s not just hope we get lucky and have our marriage be wonderful and fulfilling! Let’s take the most important actions today that will build, enrich, and strengthen this most important relationship!
Let’s not just hope we get lucky in the workplace and have all the raises and recognition we wish for. Let’s be deliberate about improving ourselves and our productivity by doing what is priority work!
Let’s not just hope we get lucky and have a life of health and strength! Let’s get off the couch, log off the internet, exercise, and improve our diet. Let’s focus on taking care of ourselves today!
Let’s not just hope we get lucky and have the happiness we long for. Let’s get our heads into good books, take time to replenish our reserves, and work hard to be happy now!
It is so easy to just head down the road of life, racing each other to get where we need to go and not really take any thought for what is most important right now. Let’s stop the racing! Let’s stop the rushing to get somewhere before someone else.
Let’s all take a small moment regularly to pause and ask “What’s important now?” and then take those actions. Let’s really WIN at life!
