“If you’re going to take a stand on something, take a stand on something that’s important.”
These words, spoken earlier this year by Bill Hawkins, an Amway Diamond with World Wide Group (WWDB), rang in my head last week as I listened to a member of the public at our local Village Board meeting.
The resident was up in arms about something and was expressing it during the board’s public comment portion. To him, the topic was obviously important enough that he took time out of his day to speak out on it. But just because it mattered so much to him doesn’t mean that it has to matter at all to me.
I respect people’s freedom to take up an issue. I am grateful to live in a country where that’s possible. I, however, have come to realize that I can respect those choices…from a distance.
Left unchecked, I could get all riled up about an issue, particularly if someone speaks on the subject with passion and an air of authority. Particularly in this age of social media, with dozens of issues bidding for my attention on a daily basis and flooding my various newsfeeds, my time could be (and has been) sucked away as I chime in here, there and seemingly everywhere.
So, heeding the words of Bill Hawkins, I am a wise steward of my time when I ponder, “Is this something that is truly important enough to put energy and focus into it?”
It’s a crucial question in the little things, such as when I am having a minor disagreement with my husband. And it applies as well in the big things, as I chart a course for investing my time, money and resources in the coming day, week, month, year and beyond.
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