We are 6 weeks into this year. How are those resolutions coming along? Are you making progress towards your goals? Are you busy being productive or busy being busy? Consider this. Many years ago I was having a conversation with my career coach. He shared a story about the first fishing trip he’d taken with a group of friends. Although the trip was fun and he enjoyed the hours of conversation, laughter and the food and drinks, at the end of the trip he realized that they hadn’t caught very many fish. He wasn’t upset. But he was confused. On the ride home, he asked his friend if the group usually caught so few fish on their trips or if this was a just a “bad day at sea”. His friend replied that they rarely if ever caught many fish. And in fact, the goal of the trips wasn’t to actually catch fish at all. The group just enjoyed having something to do that gave them an excuse to get together, laugh, drink and have fun. After returning home, he called his friend, thanked him for the invitation and informed him that he wouldn’t be attending the next group fishing trip.

My take-a-way. Time is limited. Resources are scarce. Make sure your actions and your goals are aligned. Don’t just spend your time being busy. Spend your time being productive. Be strategic. Move with purpose. Move with intention. Are you catching or are you just fishing?