The Bucket

Your goal is to fill it up.

And it’s easy. At least when you first start.

All you have to do is focus on pouring more liquid into it. More input, more productivity, more effort.

And as it should, the level of liquid in the bucket rises.

Until it stops. And then starts dropping.

So you focus on pouring more & more into it. More & more input, more & more productivity, more & more effort.

But the level keeps dropping. You keep sliding further & further away from your goal.

And then you recognize the real problem.

There are holes in the bottom of your bucket.

They could be big obvious holes, like your business or personal overheads being too high, or a drop in real productivity for the sake of busyness.

But more often than not, they are less obvious, and a result of complacency over time. The daily habits that don’t align with your goals that you have allowed to creep in.

Hitting the snooze button for 15 minutes every morning.

Watching the extra episode on Netflix every night.

The untracked morning snack you’ve learned to love.

The glass of wine every evening to help you unwind.

The little expenses that have accumulated every week.

Things that you did not hate & have learned to tolerate.

And no matter how much extra liquid you pour into your bucket, you’ll never offset the drainage through the holes.

Perhaps it’s time to start focusing on plugging the holes.