Here are some more thoughts to get you thinking about the importance of having margins and buffers in our lives :

•  Perfectionism is a hopeless cause when attaining it is the only end-product. By its very nature, perfection - no more beyond--is not attainable in a changing world. It's also boring. once you've attained it, then what?
  
• The insistence of 100% accuracy in human interaction is only an ideal. An an unrealistic one too.
  
• Automation can just help you make mistakes faster.

Got that? Okay, let's move on.

People are not biologically or psychologically geared to be 'on' all the time. We are hardwired to have cycles of activity AND rest, a fact that we ignore in the quest for success, or trying just to hold our heads above water in  hard times. We need buffers in our lives.

Some off-the-cuff definitions for 'buffer':
Margin - a breathing space between yourself and your limits.
Leeway - the absence of pressure.
Padding - the presence of protection.

So, when we exercise our ability for conscious choice in our lives and put buffers in, we can give ourselves the breathing space we need, put off some of the pressures of modern life and protect ourselves from what can stress us out.

From part one:

You do it proactively, not re-actively. This is calculation.
Outside of a gun battle, ducking and hiding is no way to face life. And lessons doesn't stop  even when you leave school. We forget that.( Go back to the first paragraph in part one). We remember the pain, and never looked past it for what we could learn from it.

Here's the thing: Blaming yourself and/or others for making  mistakes is human.

It's also a waste of time, energy and focus, especially if you keep dwelling on it. Blame keeps you stuck. Learning helps you deal and move on.

It's where you grow. Really.

It's an inevitable step of the maturing process that some lessons stick the hardest because they hurt the most. When we were young, we weren't able to control ourselves when it came to dealing with discomfort. We howled at the vaccinations, shrieked at being told what to do, and lied like rugs to avoid being sent to the corner.

Later on, we balked at having to do our homework first before we can watch cartoons. Maybe sighed and rolled our martyr's eyes at having to finish the chores, at having a curfew, at having to follow rules that were set to teach us discipline and how to take care of ourselves when we're on our own.

It's also normal to forget the discomfort we went through growing up to be where and who we are now. The nerves from driving a car for the very first time? Eh. The queasy feeling when you made a speech in front of a sea of classmates (or co-workers)? Hah. (Or maybe not.)

Staring at the flames from something burning on the stove is doing something. Turning off the heat and protecting your hand while dumping the pan in the sink is getting something done.

Another scenario: Watching TV is doing something. Turning it off to clean the garage of the stuff you mean to give to Goodwill is getting something done.

Do you see it yet?

It's an old military axiom. "Never mistake doing something for getting something done." Behind this short, pithy sentence is a whole mindset that can do wonders for providing clarity and peace of mind.

How can a cliche give you clarity and peace of mind?

Getting something done implies that:
a) that action was taken to take you closer to a pre-established goal
b) that action was a deliberate choice, the best one among a set of alternates.

In part one we advised you to follow in St. Nick's footsteps and write everything down, but the second part we hadn't mentioned is counter-intuitive-- don't stick to the plan 100% of the time.

Aside from the truth that "no plan survives contact with the enemy," sticking to The Plan, The Plan, must stick to The Plan,can't leave The Plan... can mean that your fixation on crossing off each item on the list leaves you blind to the reason why there's a list in the first place. The list is a plotted-out course on a mental map, it's not the actual territory, and it's not your over-all goal. Never confuse the map with the territory. That would be like learning to drive from watching a video on the internet.

Wiktionary defines 'focus' as the convergence of attention or light onto a target or point. Using both, attention of and on an object --or in this case, a objective-- and shedding light on that objective seems to be a very effective strength to build up, since focus is something you can use towards not only building a better business, but leading a happier, more joyful life.

Focus keeps you from drifting, losing track, acting aimlessly--wasting time, and what else is life made up of but time, remember?

So how can you strengthen your focusing skills?

In the automatic, quick side-step to avoid mistakes, people forget that we learn the most from making them. We remember the lesson more if we get hurt from it. Ever stuck a fork in an electric socket when you were young? Ever did it again? The memory of pain stuck the lesson home when you were a kid.

As an adult, it's the fear of pain that can drive us away from learning more about ourselves, about the world and about the good we can make in it if we dared to acknowledge our true capacity for inciting change.

One aspect of decision making that people rarely want to talk about is the fear of making mistakes. It's almost never included officially in meetings, or committed to paper, and hardly ever addressed except in whispers behind closed doors, or outside the office where no one can hear.

Everything can be printed out neatly in black and white in a neatly bound business plan on your desk, or glowing softly on your monitor screen, but the target of this article is the quietly looming presence in the back of your mental theater for one, waiting for you to slip up so it can sneak in behind you, and whisper silkily in your ear,"Damn...I thought you knew better than that, you knucklehead." And you pause in indecision, paralyzed.  

"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."  Joel Arthur Baker
 
Are you willing to do the actual work to change your world for the better? To take the lead in determining the course of your life? In capping this four-part series we've covered the following: 1) How to use your time wisely, and in accordance with your priorities, 2) Identifying visions and goals, and 3) Breaking down your plan into flexible, manageable steps. This last part ties everything we've covered together.