In 1955 Cyril Northcote Parkinson, a British naval historian, pinned the adage, “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” as the first line in what was a humorous essay. I first heard of Parkinson’s Law when I was building and managing manufacturing plants in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

Parkinson’s statement, over time, has also been known as, “The scope of the job will always expand to fill the time allotted.”  And indeed I, as many others, have experienced this to be completely true. If you have ever hired someone to do a job for you likely you experienced this law as well.

A plan is developed for the scope of the job and low and behold the full amount of time set aside is consumed completing the job. Although Parkinson’s Law was based on his study of the British Civil Service bureaucracies it seems to cross into every aspect of human life.

The Secret To Reaching Your Goals

For instance, have you ever had a dream that you thought could take an extended period of time to accomplish?  Say, 1, 5, 10, 15 or more years? And it did! It’s a phenomenon for sure. As humans, we have an insatiable need to “Be Right” and will go to extremes to validate our rightness. And at times, at the expense of our deepest desires our dreams and goals.

As a personal development and leadership facilitator I work with people every month that allow Parkinson’s Law to run in their lives. I hear people say they want to grow their network marketing businesses by $10,000 to $50,000 or more per month and they are willing to take five or more years to accomplish this.

But, what if by becoming crystal clear on the dream and getting fully committed one could accomplish this same goal in one year or less? Isn’t it just as easy to get committed to a short period of time as it is a long period of time? If you truly have a burning desire to accomplish a goal then crossing the finish line sooner rather than later can be a huge win for you and your loved ones.

What does it take, one might ask? Emotion. Emotion is a fuel that will drive one to create. We’ve all read of Albert Einstein and how he worked day and night inventing all kinds of modern conveniences. He ate infrequently, slept little and became an inventing machine turning out one invention after another. He was completely emotionally involved and got his energy from that emotion.

One’s passion for service to mankind will become the fuel needed to make this a lifetime experience. Emotional involvement is what drove Mother Teresa. And there are literally thousands of examples throughout history. If you aren’t emotionally connected to what it is that you say you want, consider getting a new dream. Because without the emotion to drive you to create your odds of success drop dramatically.

At Klemmer & Associates our clients gain clarity on their dreams and goals while reigniting their passion through our experiential leadership seminars. If your energy for your dream has flattened out or left you completely enroll into our Personal Mastery seminar at www.klemmer.com. You’ll be thrilled you did.

John Edwards
Advanced Leadership Facilitator
Quickening Client Services