I know it’s been said before, but if only those who had the energy of youth had the wisdom of age. This thought often occurs to me when speaking with my children and encouraging them to do this or that, move one way or another, or forge ahead into a certain endeavor. It’s difficult for them to see the urgency of getting things accomplished early on in life. Too often time is wasted doing things that may seem significant, but the wisdom of age knows are relatively insignificant.

The older I get the more I recognize how valuable time is. When I was young I wasted time like most anyone else. Now I know that being efficient and filling my time with things that matter, things that have meaning, things that move me toward a larger goal, is very important. Time is a precious commodity.

I wish I could convince my children (and others) that if you want to get somewhere tomorrow, you’ve got to get going “yesterday.” That means:

• A vision for where you one day want to be
• Setting goals that will get you there
• Using time each day to accomplish those goals and move you closer to your vision

It sounds simple. It’s incredibly difficult.

The difficulty comes in remaining motivated and keeping the end vision always in front. To do that:

• Distractions must be put aside
• Ask others to hold you accountable
• Start with small goals, then transition to the larger ones
• Do something to move you toward the end vision every day without fail
• Reward yourself when you accomplish certain goals
• Evaluate weekly whether you have moved forward
• Ask for help (people are much more willing to help than you think)