The most profound truths in the business of life are usually quite simple. So simple that they are either overlooked or ignored by almost everyone. And this is one that causes the most misunderstanding and the most unhappiness, frustration and failed potential.
Everything counts! Not just what you want to count, but everything. It all adds up. Wolfgang von Goethe, the German philosopher and one of the most brilliant men of history, said that the greatest invention of his age was double-entry bookkeeping.
When he was asked why such a simple aspect of accounting appeared so important to him, he replied that the process of accounting for debits and credits explained the human experience, and individual results, better than any other method.
In double-entry bookkeeping, every transaction is recorded as either a debit or a credit. In life, everything you do is either a plus or a minus. In bookkeeping, a company with more credits than debits is solid, solvent and profitable. In your life, when you rack up more pluses than minuses, you are happy, healthy and prosperous. And everything counts.
I have a friend who is chronically overweight by about 30 pounds. He insists that all he eats is “fresh fruit, salads and vegetables” and he can’t understand why he has a weight problem.
One day, I found him polishing off his second piece of cheesecake over lunch and I asked him about it. He looked me squarely in the eye, pointed to the dessert and said, “I don’t count that.”
The world is full of people who hope and wish and pray that everything doesn’t count. They don’t realize that everything they do adds up to either a great life or an unhappy one.
If it’s not moving you toward your goals, it’s probably moving you away. Every action (and inaction) is going onto your personal balance sheet. Everything counts and the clock is running.
Make sure that everything you do is moving you in the direction of where you want to end up. Because if you do, you will.
Brian Tracy is a legendary in the fields of management, leadership, and sales. He is the author of “The Psychology of Selling” & “The Power of Charm.” He can be reached at 858.481.2977, or www.briantracy.com.
