Today is your reality check. You almost never do all those things you plan to do “tomorrow.” Procrastination is a trickster. It helps you feel comfortable with complacency. It lets you be lazy. Procrastination is a liar, too. It talks you into thinking that you are taking action by planning to take action on a future date. Not true. That date will never come. Planning is not doing. You are no closer to your goals if you say you will do something tomorrow. Your intentions don’t carry any weight at all in the real world. If you have a heart attack today, it doesn’t matter that you intended to get to the gym and eat better “tomorrow” for years.
You have to fight your impulse to procrastinate with everything you’ve got if you want to move forward in life. If you want to stay right where you are, then feel free to put off the actions that might bring you success. It’s your choice. Remember, you have the power and no one else.
Watch yourself today. What are you putting off until tomorrow? What are you actually getting done? Evaluate whether you are moving forward or standing still. Don’t forget that tomorrow never comes.
DAY
159
“Procrastination is the thief of time.”
— Edward Young
Yesterday you read that procrastination is a trickster and a liar. Well, it’s a thief, too. In other words, you don’t want to hang around with procrastination for very long. It’s a shady character in a bad neighborhood.
How is procrastination a thief? Think about what happens when you procrastinate. When you plan to put something off, you have to come up with a reason why, to make yourself feel better. You could spend all afternoon talking yourself into procrastination.
Tomorrow will be better, because I’ll have more time. Wait. I won’t have more time tomorrow. I’ve got three major appointments. Well, next week will be really ideal, because I’ll be done with one project by then, and I think I don’t have to take the kids to soccer practice that week and . . . oh, wait. I do have to take them to soccer. Okay, well, maybe I should start the whole thing next month. That’s a great idea! Start fresh next month. I’m not going to let myself feel guilty about this. I’m a very busy person. Life just gets in the way sometimes . . .
In the time that you took to have that conversation with yourself you could have gotten several things done. Procrastination is the thief of time. It takes planning, and the ridiculous thing is you are planning to not do something. It’s a complete waste of time. Spend today not procrastinating.
DAY
160
“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.”
— Anonymous
You’ve been reading about procrastination for the last several days, but today you will get a chance for rebuttal if you are a chronic procrastinator. There is a very slight difference between procrastination and doing things at the last minute. Ann kind of had a good point on Day 156 when she admitted that she enjoyed the adrenaline rush of working with a deadline looming. Some people actually do their best work that way. Are you one of those adrenaline junkies? That’s not all bad.
The important distinction is that you have to meet your deadlines. If you wait until the last minute to do something, that’s fine if you produce great work on time. But you must complete the job using all of your talents to the fullest. Pay attention to the results. If you’re churning out fabulous ideas and contributing everything you have, it doesn’t matter if you wait until the last minute. The point is that you did it, and you did it well.
Ask yourself if you are one of those people who enjoys the rush of doing things at the last minute. If the answer is yes, then take a close look at your results. Are you really showing the world everything you’ve got when you get things done at the last minute? If the answer is yes again, great! Knock yourself out. Have fun with the drama of sweating out last-minute deadlines. If the answer is no, maybe you should rethink your strategy. You have an incredible amount of talent within you. Everyone lets their gifts emerge in different ways. If you need more time to give your unique talents a chance to work their magic, don’t wait until the last minute. If you don’t, more power to you. Do it at the eleventh hour.
DAY
161
“I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me to be the most civilized music in the world.”
— Peter Ustinov
Laughter is music. It is a delight to the soul and a wonderful way to tap into your inner self. You have read about many quiet and meditative ways to reach inside and draw out your unique talents, but the music of laughter has that same ability. It’s hard to fake laughter if you’re not really amused, so it comes from a place of truth and pure joy. When you really start to laugh it is like a song that bubbles up from a very deep place inside of you. It taps into your soul and opens you up. Laughter has the power to remove barriers and let you to enjoy the moment.
Laughter is a very present activity. It takes place right now. You laugh in immediate reaction to something you see or hear or do. Laughter will take you right out of regrets of the past or worries over what the future holds. It happens now, and then it’s gone. You have to enjoy it while you’ve got it.
Your assignment today is to take part in something that makes you laugh. Watch a funny movie, hang out with a friend who makes you giggle, or go to a comedy club. Or you could even try something that you haven’t done in a long time. When was the last time you went roller skating? That might give you a chuckle or two if you try it again.
Put yourself in situations where you might break out into hysterical laughter. Laughter is great medicine. It has the power to heal you emotionally and even physically. Stop taking yourself so seriously and have a little fun today.
DAY
162
“The more you find out about the world, the more opportunities there are to laugh at it.”
— Peter Nye
Life is funny. If you stop and take a good, long look at all the crazy things going on in this world, you will have ample opportunity to laugh. Have you noticed what a mixed-up group of weirdoes we are? It’s pretty hilarious when you think about it.
Go find a public place today and sit down and observe the human species in action. You can choose to go to a park, the library, a coffeehouse, or a mall, whatever makes you happy. Pick a place where you will have an opportunity to observe a lot of people. Bring your journal with you and jot down some of the things about this world that are really funny to you when you look at them. Study the way people interact with each other. Observe how they dress and talk and the kinds of gadgets they use when they’re out and about. Take apart every facet of our civilization and look at it as if it you have never seen it before.
Ask yourself what you have learned about life in the last twenty years that makes you laugh when you think about the absurdity of it. You may draw a blank at first, but think about this question for awhile, and soon you will probably come up with quite a few answers.