# Chapter 192

Busy people are busy by choice as a general rule. This I know from both personal experience trying to be the busiest person in the world - the most important person in the world, and from observing my clients around the world for the last nine years. And these clients are in high pressure, change the world environments and that means there is considerable pressure to be and stay, busy busy busy. There is always more to do. There is always more work waiting for you. Busy is still a choice.

The vast majority of busy is self-imposed. Even my poorest client in the most resource-deprived places in the world, have options for off-loading many tasks and delegating most responsibilities. No that does not remove the task of quality control from you, but it does move a great deal of the execution and completion parts of busy off of your shoulders onto the shoulders of someone else. Busy is still a choice.

. . . and often a complicated emotional choice. Back in my 30’s and 40’s it was primarily about shoring up my confidence in myself, and being seen and heard by everyone around me, so that my importance could not be missed by even a casual observer. If everyone thought me to be important then surely I must be?

But I realized that being important or seen or heard or valued was far less satisfying than making a difference, being the agent of change and influencing the direction people were going. Now I can lead from the back of the room and be judged by my outcomes rather than my busy meter.