Are You Going In Circles?

    Did you see the circling boat on the news last Monday? Two men went out fishing in Tampa Bay. On their way to the fishing spot, the boat hit a rogue wave causing one man to lose his balance, who fell into his friend, tumbling them both into the sea. The boat was still running and began to turn in a tight circle, around and around and around, for over an hour and a half. One of the boaters swam the long trek to shore. The other was picked up by another boater. The Coast Guard was called, but they elected to just let the boat run out of gas. After all, though the energy expended wasn’t accomplishing anything useful, it wasn’t doing any damage either. So, they just let it run in circles until it died.

    That does remind me of a lot of people. They run around in circles, around and around, giving the illusion that they are going somewhere. But there’s no driver, no direction, just wasted energy, going around and around, until all energy is expended and they run out of gas. Mesmerizing to watch, but a waste of time and energy nonetheless.

    Could that possibly be you?
    The best way to ensure that your activity is actually going somewhere, is to make sure you stay in the driver’s seat, that you know where you are going, and that you stay pointed in the right direction. Lots of activity is not enough. For a lot of people, their activity only wears them out, but they aren’t really getting anywhere.
    So where is your activity taking you? What direction are you heading in? Do you have goals? Is all of that activity planned in order to meet those goals? Or are you just reacting to life?
    Over twenty years ago, I realized I was going in circles. I was busy, but not productive. Honestly, today I’m far more productive but not as busy. I learned to set goals and schedule my week to meet those goals.
    Give it a shot. You’ll find you have more time than you thought, and you’ll get more done. It might even change your life.
    “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 ESV).