130 What are you saving for later?

You’ve got dreams. You’ve got ideas. Lots of things you want to do. We’re doing a little spring cleaning by asking, “What are you saving for later?”

This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Henry Ford:

“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.“

Our minds get cluttered with ideas that we decide to save for later. We save them because we are waiting to process them more or to be personally ready for them or to dedicate specific time to them. If your mind is full of these shelved ideas, it’s time to take inventory and pitch the things that are pipe dreams. Clear the clutter so you can focus on the things you really want to do.

Clearing mind clutter works the same way as clearing garage clutter. Take each idea and decide whether to trash it, donate it, or find a home for it. The relief from this process will amaze you!

Quotes from the show:

• “You can’t wait for later to do [some things]. You need to do it now.” —Armin
• “We are doing our [necessary] thing today, and the thing that we want to do, we’ll push that off for [later]. Some might say it’s a deferred life. ‘We’ll get on with life later. Right now, we have to do our obligations.'” —Leary
• “Your [very] life could depend on how well you purposely plan your life. Maybe even ask [yourself] the simple question, ‘What is the purpose to my life?'” —Armin
• “I don’t want to cut down my ideas. […] But, at the same time, I can feel almost compelled […] to act on all of them. If I don’t act [on my ideas], […] I start feeling disappointed with myself when I’m not getting all the stuff that I really want to be working on done.” —Leary
• “Your mind already knows all this stuff. You can’t hide it from yourself. You’re already doing this internally. Putting it into a list quiets you down.” —Leary
• “Ask yourself what you can do now. What is the small step you can take now? […] If you can’t take an action step on [it] now, you may still have to do more spring cleaning.” —Leary
• “I wonder how many of us would be considered hoarders if we could actually see the number of thoughts inside […] our mental garage.” —Armin
• “If you are shelving [something on your heart] for later because you disqualified yourself, you are capable, you can do it, and you don’t have to save it for later.” —Armin

This week’s Challenge Me:

Take ten minutes and write down the things you are saving for later. Get that inventory going. Don’t save this challenge for later!

Comments? Questions? Stories from your own life? Share them with us in the comments below.

Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast episode:

• Episode 070, “How to Beat Procrastination.”