Procrastination:
There is nothing worse than knowing there is something you need to get done and not getting it done! Now, teenagers are famous for this...always waiting until the absolute last minute to do their homework or study for a big exam. Not every kid handles their schoolwork like this, but if I was to guess it would be at least 65% of them. However, as we mature into adulthood, shouldn't we be more on top of our responsibilities??? And why are so many of us putting them off? Most of the time, you can excuse such behavior as just taking the opportunity for some quality "me time". This happens in my life when my mother picks up my daughter and the baby ends up taking a nap. Finally! There are a million things waiting to get done such as, cleaning, doing dishes, putting away clothes, changing sheets, etc....Do I accomplish all of these things while my little one is asleep? Don't get me wrong, I may put some clothes away (and the dishes are a must), however, what I really want to do is have a cup of coffee, shower, and blow out my hair! (In that order). These are reasonable requests and most of you would agree they are not only deserved, but come on...I NEED to shower! With two toddlers under three this isn't as easy to get done as you may think it is. What really puzzles me are the major things. As I write this, there is a decision to be decided regarding my career and instead of really sitting down and doing some critical thinking on it, what am I doing? Writing about procrastination and people getting in their own way when the truth is, if you haven't guessed it by now, this particular blog should be How Yours Truly Gets in Her Own Way! For the record, today is a Friday and this needs to be done, in writing, and processed within seven days (minus two for the weekend and what the h....? Why do I do this???) The stress of knowing you have something to do stirs adrenaline and anxiety all of us could do without. Yet, it seems, done on purpose. A lot of studies have reported people actually get addicted to the high procrastinating gives them after the task is finally complete. So what, we're all a bunch of junkies??? It seems that way. Notice, my fingers have not left the keyboard and still not tackling what is necessary with a deadline of a week?
Photo courtesy of http://www.extrasforme.com/community/3-questions-to-help-you-stop-procrastinating/
Second Guessing or Self Doubt
This is another way in which we beat ourselves up. Your brain has been putting one foot in front of the other your whole life. Have your feet or legs ever simply stopped working? Of course we trip once and a while (and look around to make sure no one was looking or as Ellen DeGeneres puts it "start to jog" as if the stumble was intentional!). But, really, give your brain a little more credit. Its not that we can't trust our thinking skills or intuition, more likely we either have too many choices or have put so much weight on a particular subject, usually the real important ones, that we virtually leave ourselves paralyzed and unable to decide! If we just let ourselves use some common sense and God given logic, we would be a whole lot better at believing we are headed in the right direction, or have every capability to look at ourselves with some objectivity and be able to accomplish whatever gets thrown at us! After all, we have been doing this our whole lives. We all aren't perfect and haven't always gotten every answer right, although, chances are, if you are reading this, so far, you have survived and are doing pretty well at that!
Photo courtesy of http://www.writingwishing.com/2013/03/crisis-in-confidence/
Impatience is Not a Virtue!
What is this need of immediate gratification? If a seed is planted today, a tree will not be here tomorrow! (Whoa, that was deep;) In all seriousness, a little patience goes a long way. What would happen if everyone gave up after their first attempt at something? We would still be in darkness without electricity because you know Ben had better things to do than stand in the rain and wait for lightning to hit that damn kite! For example, he had virtues to write about, in the dark, by candlelight. Or if the Wright Brothers said "Screw it, this winged contraption is never going to fly!"...Point is, things take time to come to fruition and we have to be willing to wait to reap the benefits of our labor (Unless you are an entrepreneurial savant with some really great shortcuts!). Everything that is worth it is worth waiting for so give yourself some time and never give up!
Photo courtesy of http://www.worldculturepictorial.com/blog/content/do-well-by-doing-good-benjamin-franklin-featured-canada-post-250-anniversary-stamp
Comparing Yourself with Others
Not everyone was born to be the greatest at everything so don't compare yourself to anyone but yourself. For many reasons, we look around at our contemporaries and see where they are in life and compare them to the particular place you are in your own life. Why? Because you are in the same age group? Ask any psychologist and they will tell you age is only relevant because of a calendar. If you want to know your true age there are a three things to be taken into consideration. Your psychological make-up, or rather, the entirety of every experience you've ever had that has led you to who you are today and shaped the way you think, thus far anyway. Your physical health which is essentially self-explanatory but, in essence, we are talking about the 'age' of your body, you know, on the inside. Some of us are a lot younger than we actually think we are and others may be precisely as old as they feel or older! Anyway, where am I? Oh, yes, number three...Which is at the heart of this very issue of comparison, your social age. Many people hold themselves back and others simply don't find their niche in life until they have tried on a number of different hats! I wrote about this in one of my very first blogs actually, and it rings true in this instance. You are never too old to find your true purpose, and its never to late to stop trying! So ease up on yourself. Go back and get that college degree or take that painting class. What do you have to lose except more time feeling badly about yourself?
At any rate, the bottom line as my father always says "the biggest obstacles we encounter in life are often put there by ourselves.". So, stop making every hurdle a mountain and every turn a milestone. Have a little faith in yourself. And for goodness sake just get it done!!! With that said, I have a decision to make and must leave you now.
"There are plenty of obstacles in your path. Make sure you are not one of them" ~ Ralph Marson
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