What is that saying again? A thought without action is just a dream? Something like that. Well, that truly seems to fit me perfectly. Lately anyway. Well, now that I think about it, for quite some time now I have had lots of trouble getting anything accomplished. While my mantra had always been, "Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?", I had hoped to change that aspect of my personality. I'm sure there are others out there like myself. Oh, you know who you are. So many dreams, too much time. Paralysis by Analysis. The list goes on and on. I'm sure there is a bit of procrastinator in all of us.
Don't get me wrong, this is surely not something that I am in any way proud of but as with any flaw, be it physical, emotional or otherwise, the only way to overcome and to get beyond it, in essence to recover from it is to first admit that there is a problem. Only then can it be conquered. Once and for all.
Where to begin? I've known that I've suffered from this ailment for quite some time but for some strange reason I just assumed it would disappear on its own. Yet it hasn't. Go figure. Naturally I thought some kind of selective Mind Magic would just unprogram it from my brain and I would instantly run around getting all kinds of stuff accomplished. Yet, here we are, nearing the end of 2009 with no sign of a 'dethroning' in the near future. The King of Procrastination is alive and well. Unfortunately, he is me.
Don't get me wrong, this is surely not something that I am in any way proud of but as with any flaw, be it physical, emotional or otherwise, the only way to overcome and to get beyond it, in essence to recover from it is to first admit that there is a problem. Only then can it be conquered. Once and for all.
Where to begin? I've known that I've suffered from this ailment for quite some time but for some strange reason I just assumed it would disappear on its own. Yet it hasn't. Go figure. Naturally I thought some kind of selective Mind Magic would just unprogram it from my brain and I would instantly run around getting all kinds of stuff accomplished. Yet, here we are, nearing the end of 2009 with no sign of a 'dethroning' in the near future. The King of Procrastination is alive and well. Unfortunately, he is me.
Not that I wouldn't like to give up the throne, to crown a new King. Oh, how I would enjoy that but it's not exactly as easy as one might think. Turns out there are many others equally as qualified as I am, yet they continue to procrastinate and never step up to assume this glorious position of power. Perhaps someone will in the near future but more than likely not. Only time will tell.
Time. It's one of our most, if not THE most precious resource we have. One that we can never get back. Once it's gone, it's gone forever, never to return. Strange isn't it, how we continue to waste it as if it's a renewable commodity that will never end. Unfortunately, as far as I know, that is surely not the case. We only have one life to live. This isn't a practice run, a dress rehearsal. This is it, the real deal, good or bad, for better or worse. This is the only chance we have to make it happen, to live the life we want, the life of our dreams.
Why is it then that we continue to put things off, excuse after excuse, merely to stay in our 'comfort zone'? If your comfort zone is anything like mine, in actuality when you really think about it, it pretty much sucks. Worst part is that even though I know mine sucks, it's still a place I like to hang out because for the most part I have a really good idea of what's there and I guess that's what makes it so comfy. Add to that the fact that it's chock full of all kinds of excuses and who in their right mind would ever want to leave such a fabulous place? Well, I for one. I'm sick and tired....of being sick and tired.
All of the changes that I had planned on making after 2008, which up to that point in my life had been one of the worst years on record, have definitely not even begun to materialize. Not in the slightest and while I truly believed that with all the devastation of that year, 2009 just HAD to be better but in fact it turned out to be even worse than '08. Now that's saying alot and none of it good.
So with '09 coming to a close I'm being forced to ask myself how could this have ever happened? With '08 being so miserable, how did I not learn from that? I was without a doubt going to do everything in my power to make '09 so much better. Why then didn't all my scheduled 'changes' take place? After all, they were on my List of things to do. Some of them were even labeled Top Priority! You know, The List. The list that for some reason continues to get longer rather than shorter. Check one thing off, add two, check another off, add two more in it's place.
Hmmm, I think I'm beginning to see a pattern here. No wonder any feelings of accomplishment that might possibly occur are quickly wiped away by the vast amounts of Post Its strewn about my desk and the surrounding walls. Ok, also the ones on the bathroom mirrors, refridgerator doors, car dashboards, you get the picture. Next thing you know, you're swimming in a sea of 'post its' wondering how in the hell am I ever going to tackle all this stuff? And so at that point you have no option other than to just hop on the EZ Train. Next stop, the Comfy Zone! Overwhelmed with Paralysis by Analysis and Precision Indecision, it's very easy to head for the Fountain of Excuses. That endless gold mine of built in reasons for never getting anything done.
Like it or not, this all comes right back to me, falling in my lap with a huge thud. Dang it! Not that I like to play the 'blame game' but with all my high hopes, how on earth could this be my fault? Yet it is my fault, nobody else I can lay the blame on. Even with all my great intentions, apparently I rarely seem to take action on any of my thoughts and as such they continue to remain in the dream stage. Who'd a thunk it? Me, of all people. I used to be the guy that would set a goal and follow through on it but obviously that has all changed. It's not that I give up. It's more that I guilt out.
That's it, time's up! I refuse to lose again in 2010! I have got to come up with a way to remember the misery of the last two, make that three years to insure that 2010 is not a repeat performance. How do I go about that? What is the best way to guard against continuing this downward spiral, allowing me to redirect my life in a more positive direction and moving forward on a more positive path towards achieving all of my goals?
Seems to me that the first thing I need to do....is to do the first thing. That should be simple enough, right? That appears to be where most of my troubles begin, with a failure to even take that first step. It's not so much the fear of failure as I have pretty much always been able to do anything that I set my mind to. But it's more the inability to even choose which step to take first, to make a decision on which direction to take and to stick with it long enough to know for sure if it's the path I should be taking or not. Lately I seem to bail on my choices shortly after getting started out of pure guilt, a nagging fear that I am wasting too much time, yet I have wasted so much time already by not following through on anything. Which of course only leads to more guilt. What a vicious cycle.
This has got to change and so with that, I will somehow force myself to pick a direction and see it through so that I know for certain that I've explored it's full potential. Right or wrong, at least I will come away with the satisfaction of knowing I gave it my best shot.
Of course along with that comes the fact that I will have to change my mantra. Something more along the lines of "Why put off until tomorrow, what I CAN do today?" Hmmm, I think I like that one better anyway. From here on out I will be relegating the throne to whomever may want to take over my kingdom. Needless to say, only true procrastinators need apply. I'm going to build a new Kingdom, one of my own choosing. Not one I inherited by default but one that I created, filled with all the hopes, dreams and accomplishments of which I know I'm truly capable of yet I have postponed for a lifetime.
So that also means it's time for a new List. Not merely another Post It tacked on top of the millions of others but an entirely clean slate. This time I will also force myself to check items off at relatively the same pace at which I am adding other items to it. First thing on the list? Take Action! CHECK!!!
Time. It's one of our most, if not THE most precious resource we have. One that we can never get back. Once it's gone, it's gone forever, never to return. Strange isn't it, how we continue to waste it as if it's a renewable commodity that will never end. Unfortunately, as far as I know, that is surely not the case. We only have one life to live. This isn't a practice run, a dress rehearsal. This is it, the real deal, good or bad, for better or worse. This is the only chance we have to make it happen, to live the life we want, the life of our dreams.
Why is it then that we continue to put things off, excuse after excuse, merely to stay in our 'comfort zone'? If your comfort zone is anything like mine, in actuality when you really think about it, it pretty much sucks. Worst part is that even though I know mine sucks, it's still a place I like to hang out because for the most part I have a really good idea of what's there and I guess that's what makes it so comfy. Add to that the fact that it's chock full of all kinds of excuses and who in their right mind would ever want to leave such a fabulous place? Well, I for one. I'm sick and tired....of being sick and tired.
All of the changes that I had planned on making after 2008, which up to that point in my life had been one of the worst years on record, have definitely not even begun to materialize. Not in the slightest and while I truly believed that with all the devastation of that year, 2009 just HAD to be better but in fact it turned out to be even worse than '08. Now that's saying alot and none of it good.
So with '09 coming to a close I'm being forced to ask myself how could this have ever happened? With '08 being so miserable, how did I not learn from that? I was without a doubt going to do everything in my power to make '09 so much better. Why then didn't all my scheduled 'changes' take place? After all, they were on my List of things to do. Some of them were even labeled Top Priority! You know, The List. The list that for some reason continues to get longer rather than shorter. Check one thing off, add two, check another off, add two more in it's place.
Hmmm, I think I'm beginning to see a pattern here. No wonder any feelings of accomplishment that might possibly occur are quickly wiped away by the vast amounts of Post Its strewn about my desk and the surrounding walls. Ok, also the ones on the bathroom mirrors, refridgerator doors, car dashboards, you get the picture. Next thing you know, you're swimming in a sea of 'post its' wondering how in the hell am I ever going to tackle all this stuff? And so at that point you have no option other than to just hop on the EZ Train. Next stop, the Comfy Zone! Overwhelmed with Paralysis by Analysis and Precision Indecision, it's very easy to head for the Fountain of Excuses. That endless gold mine of built in reasons for never getting anything done.
Like it or not, this all comes right back to me, falling in my lap with a huge thud. Dang it! Not that I like to play the 'blame game' but with all my high hopes, how on earth could this be my fault? Yet it is my fault, nobody else I can lay the blame on. Even with all my great intentions, apparently I rarely seem to take action on any of my thoughts and as such they continue to remain in the dream stage. Who'd a thunk it? Me, of all people. I used to be the guy that would set a goal and follow through on it but obviously that has all changed. It's not that I give up. It's more that I guilt out.
That's it, time's up! I refuse to lose again in 2010! I have got to come up with a way to remember the misery of the last two, make that three years to insure that 2010 is not a repeat performance. How do I go about that? What is the best way to guard against continuing this downward spiral, allowing me to redirect my life in a more positive direction and moving forward on a more positive path towards achieving all of my goals?
Seems to me that the first thing I need to do....is to do the first thing. That should be simple enough, right? That appears to be where most of my troubles begin, with a failure to even take that first step. It's not so much the fear of failure as I have pretty much always been able to do anything that I set my mind to. But it's more the inability to even choose which step to take first, to make a decision on which direction to take and to stick with it long enough to know for sure if it's the path I should be taking or not. Lately I seem to bail on my choices shortly after getting started out of pure guilt, a nagging fear that I am wasting too much time, yet I have wasted so much time already by not following through on anything. Which of course only leads to more guilt. What a vicious cycle.
This has got to change and so with that, I will somehow force myself to pick a direction and see it through so that I know for certain that I've explored it's full potential. Right or wrong, at least I will come away with the satisfaction of knowing I gave it my best shot.
Of course along with that comes the fact that I will have to change my mantra. Something more along the lines of "Why put off until tomorrow, what I CAN do today?" Hmmm, I think I like that one better anyway. From here on out I will be relegating the throne to whomever may want to take over my kingdom. Needless to say, only true procrastinators need apply. I'm going to build a new Kingdom, one of my own choosing. Not one I inherited by default but one that I created, filled with all the hopes, dreams and accomplishments of which I know I'm truly capable of yet I have postponed for a lifetime.
So that also means it's time for a new List. Not merely another Post It tacked on top of the millions of others but an entirely clean slate. This time I will also force myself to check items off at relatively the same pace at which I am adding other items to it. First thing on the list? Take Action! CHECK!!!
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