Recently, at the gym, I couldn't help but notice some of the guys as they went through their workouts. I was amazed at how much time they spent looking at themselves in the mirror. It seemed that for every one minute pumping iron, they spent five minutes evaluating themselves in the mirror. I became so amused that I actually started to laugh to myself.

However, I quickly stopped when I realized that I've been guilty of the same thing myself. For instance, on the day the DASH book arrived from the printer, I spent a lot of time "in the mirror." I held the book in my hands and stared at it in awe as if I had never seen the cover (the design of which we tinkered with for weeks). I even opened the book and read a few chapters, all the while thinking, "Hey, this is good stuff!" In short, I did everything with the book except what I should have been doing with it - working to make sure that it got into the hands (and minds) of others; where it could actually do some good..

Are you currently standing in the mirror of life? Sometimes, when we have a major victory, we tend to spend a little too much time reliving the moment. For instance, a salesperson may close a big sale for his company and then spend the next two weeks standing around the water cooler recounting his "conquest" to anyone who will listen. In the meantime, he neglects the opportunity to make additional sales calls (and gain new victories) because he's stuck in the mirror.

The same thing sometimes happens to artists and painters. They spend days, weeks or months creating a "masterpiece." However, when it's finally completed, they get stuck in the mirror. They admire it. They tinker with it. They do everything except have it placed in a museum or gallery where the work could actually do what it was meant to do - inspire others.

Even worse, sometimes we get distracted by the mirror in the middle of the contest. We become so eager to check on our progress that we stop making any. In a sense, we become like the child who becomes so impatient to check on the cake, that he opens the oven door before it's had a chance to rise. He learns the hard way that good things take time.

Well, the same is true for the good things in store for your life. Losing 50 pounds and getting back into shape take time. However, if you step on the scale every hour expecting weight loss, you run the risk of being extremely discouraged. The same thing applies to a good marriage. You can't attend a weekend retreat and expect to instantly solve issues that may have taken a decade to arise. Yet, that's what many of us expect and we drive our spouses crazy with questions like "How we are doing now? We haven't had a fight in 15 minutes. We're happily married again, right?" Wrong! You might be on the right track but you have to allow time for the train to reach the station.

And the only way that can happen is if we get out of the mirror and get on with the business of making the most of our dash. Ironically, during that same visit to the gym, I came across people on the basketball court who understood this principle. After each game, the players would walk around to congratulate one another and say "Good game." However, before anyone could start reminiscing about their incredible three-point shot or game-saving steal, someone from the sidelines would yell, "I got next!" And almost immediately, a new game would start.

Well, that's just how life works. Your next business conquest, fitness milestone or creative work is yelling, "I got next!" Later, you'll have plenty of time to relive your glory days but for now, it's time to wipe your brow, have a drink of water and get back in the game.