A recent news story reported on a working woman who apparently had too much on her plate. I was instantly reminded of the lyrics from The 59th Street Bridge Song by Simon & Garfunkle.
“Slow down you’re moving too fast.
You’ve got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun, and feeling groovy.”
This was a sad news story. On her way to school she remembered the doughnuts, but she forgot that her sleeping baby was in the back seat of her car. (She was a good mom who just “forgot.”) Plug in the worst-case scenario here and you are beginning to understand the tragedy of this message.
With cell phones being the most obvious recent distraction, we all have too much going on in our lives to be as effective as we need to be. We seem to be working for work’s sake and our primary objective is to “do it all.”
I can’t tell you how to run your life, but I can remind you that you only have one of them. This story in the newspaper is just the first one of its kind if people do not start slowing down and taking the time to smell the roses.
Take time to reconfirm your personal priorities and learn how to say “no.” With any luck, your “wake-up call” will sound like a missed dentist appointment or a misplaced set of car keys and not the sound of an ambulance.
This woman is now minus one little baby and her life has been altered forever. It didn’t have to be that way.
Whatever your case, know that your wake-up call has been set, and it is just a matter of time before the alarm sounds. You don’t have to regret the outcome if you begin today doing the right thing. Slow down. You too may be moving too fast.
Mike Marchev freely shares his experiences, strategies and observations with travel professionals in an effort to keep them on top of their game. For a complimentary copy of his 12-Word Marketing Plan send him an email at mike@mikemarchev.com.
Mike’s daily column is made possible by AmaWaterways.
