Why it’s so important to take action before you need to.

My home project this morning is cleaning out our gutters. We recently had roofers replace the worn and missing cedar shingles on our house, in the middle of our street. They then treated the roof to extend the life of the cedar shakes. In the process a lot of little shingle slivers collected on the roof. After a recent rain, those slivers and bits washed down and collected in our gutters. Which is why my mind is in the gutter this morning.

Today is a beautiful, sunny day in Wisconsin. There is no chance of rain. Or snow. So the accumulated debris in my gutter won’t create any dam problems today. That’s why today is the perfect day for this eager beaver to clean the gutters out.

Get Ahead To Get Ahead

Success requires you to do the work when you don’t need to. Not when you do.

It is the off-season work that makes the difference in sports.

It is the relationship-building you do when you don’t need anything that makes the difference when you really do need a friend, favor, job, or sale.

It’s the regular dental cleaning that prevents the cavity. And the accompanying Cavity Creeps.

It is the process that you create and implement that ensures that all future jobs are done right, every time.

It is the money you saved and invested that accumulates interest while you sleep, Van Winkle.

It is the colonoscopy that prevents the polyp from becoming colorectal cancer. And you don’t want anything going bad with your colorectals.

Key Takeaway

Take action before you need to. Your preactions are far more valuable than your reactions. Preactions accumulate and create opportunities and success, while your reactions focus on problems that already exist. Often those problems could have been avoided or minimized by acting earlier. Remember, hard work is the easy work you didn’t do when you had the time. Get ahead of the work and you will get ahead in life.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Originally published at http://adamalbrecht.blog on July 30, 2023.