The other day I had a great suggestion from my friend, former County Judge Jim Baker, who said, “We should not eliminate our incentives.” What he was saying is that we should always have something out in front of us that inspires and motivates us.
He was so right, and I felt it would be worthwhile to expand on this idea for you and my other readers, because it has a lot of great benefits. The word “incentive” means, “that which incites, or tends to incite to action, motivating force.” In other words, what idea or thought motivates us to get off our duff, or out of a rut, and causes us to act.
As the old saying goes, “It’s a whole lot better to wear out than to rust out.” I see this principle in action many times while watching the Arkansas Razorback basketball games. While some players are just standing around on the court, others are completely engaged and doing their best to make things happen. I might add, those who are just standing around don’t stay in long as “Muss” (Coach Musselman) takes them out of the game. The team is doing great, and Janis and I enjoy watching them play.
But back to the topic at hand, “Don’t eliminate your incentives.” Here is the key. When you have goals and things that are important for you to accomplish, your time becomes so much more valuable. We only have so much time — 168 hours each week — and when we learn to plan and prioritize it, we get so much more done. Do you remember the $25,000 idea that I discussed in another column? When we take the time to write down the six most important things we have to do the following day, and then go back and number them in order of their importance, we can go to work with supreme confidence that we are moving in the right direction.
It was a little more than 27 years ago that I started writing this column, and it is still very important, because I think about you taking your valuable time to read it. Each weekday I want to give you some really good ideas that will move you closer to achieving the goals that are important to you. I might also add, in addition to our work, we need quiet time to think about the people and goals that are important to us. We need time to rest and sleep, and quality nutritious food to eat so that we can maintain our body in tip-top condition. This is also what Judge Baker was talking about when he said, “We should not eliminate our incentives.”
One other thought comes to mind as I conclude my time with you. Judge Baker and I are in the same Lions Club, and I am also in the Conway Kiwanis Club. Each of these wonderful organizations do a lot of good to meet the needs of the less fortunate in our communities. The Lions serve and help the blind and our Kiwanis Club has a number of fund raisers each year to provide scholarships to deserving young people. I will always be grateful to our Kiwanis Club to taking over the Bookcase for Every Child project that I started back in 2005. Thank You.
—(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)