The Wizard of Time Management
Published: Tue, 11/06/18
Back in 2001, before I stumbled into copywriting, marketing, and direct response (and email marketing wasn’t even on the back burner of my pea brain) I remember watching the movie “The Fellowship of the Ring” when it opened.
I loved every minute of it.
Props to Peter Jackson & Co.
They managed to strip out all the boring stuff from Tolkein’s books (didn’t really dig on reading 4 pages of what the hobbits ate and countless songs inserted into the narrative) and added even more action. To those who whine about it not “being pure to the books!” quit being a dork and simply read the books then. Same goes for The Hobbit movies. Yes, those 3 movies are only about 20% the book, but they are also 80% more fun than the book in my humble, but always accurate, opinion.
Back to the tale:
When Fellowship of the Ring came out I was going through some not-so-fun times.
Not life-threatening stuff or anything I didn't bring on myself.
Certainly nothing worth crying about on social media for attention and validation.
Just a bunch of first world problems.
But, in context, it wasn’t fun and I basically was a loser, with a marketing prole mindset, with a destiny of being a two bit MLM distributor without a pot to wiz in, or a window to chuck it out.
Enter the movie:
There is a part of the movie where the wizard Gandalf The Grey is talking to Frodo in the Mines of Moria. Orcs and demons of the ancient world could kill Frodo and his companions at any time. Gollum was hot on their trail. And they were more or less despairing.
Frodo says:
“I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”
To which Gandalf replies:
“So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
That scene stuck in my psychology at the time.
It made me get my head out of my gluteus assimus, sac up, and start thinking more clearly about getting things done.
It also made me understand the value of time.
We all — rich or poor — have the same 24 hours each day.
We can waste it surfing flakebook and social media, watching people kneel or not kneel at football games, or get seduced by the talking deads on cable news.
Or, we can work.
We can claw our way to our goals.
We can put pencil to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and create.
Time is passing regardless of what you do.
I once heard a story about a guy who wanted to get his Masters degree. He was complaining about how it would take 5 years of night school, and that’s such a long time, yada yada yada.
His friend said:
“So? Time is passing anyway. Five years from now you can have your masters degree, or you can be sitting around doing nothing wishing you’d gotten it. Time is passing no matter what you do.”
Anyway, something to think about.
I don’t care what you do with your time.
But, if you are looking at building your business and thinking “this is going to take me forever!”, realize time is passing whether you use it or not. Six months or a year from now, you could be building and profiting from your own business, or you could be stuck in the same situation you are now, waiting for whatever ducks you think you need in a row to get started.
It’s all up to you, you’re in charge.
Everyone has an hour a day.
Or, even a half hour per day.
Frankly, even 15 minutes per day.
Show me a man who consistently puts 15 minutes per day into building his business and I guarantee he will wipe the floor with the bloke who has 2 hours per day, but spends his time on social media or watching TV.
Okay, enough of this drivel.
You either get it or you don’t.
If you get it, and if you’re ready to take your business towards success and prosperity, and if you want help with getting in the right kind of mindset for massive success with your priorities straight, check out my Villains book.
Unlike all my other products, it's inexpensive.
And, can be read in one sitting.
To read about it, go here:
http://www.VillainsBook.com
Ben Settle