Resolutions 2014

I hereby resolve to stop procrastinating.

Who am I kidding? Procrastinating is more than a habit with me, it's a lifestyle -- and I just want to tell you that once in a while it pays off. This morning for instance.

Of course yesterday and the day before I wanted to write a New Year's blog listing my 2014 resolutions. But it didn't happen because I was busy fiddling around with other things (insert "p" word here), all the while thinking about my New Year Resolutions.

This morning I tore into a home improvement project rather than sitting down to write my goals for the year. On a break I read an article by Donald Miller entitled, "Don't Share Your Resolutions." Ha. Perfect.

Thanks to my putting off I didn't make the huge mistake of sharing my goals (resolutions) publicly and thereby losing my motivation to achieve. You see, according to a lecture Mr. Miller heard, goals are great, but...

"When you share a goal publicly,

your brain enjoys the sharing in the same way it enjoys the achievement itself,

 and you’ve lost some of your motivation."

 

It really is a good (short) article. Click here if you'd like to read it.

 

Are you familiar with Donald Miller? I like his writing, but I LOVE the titles he finds for his books! He is the author of Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and more. Those are the only ones I've read, and each was better than the last. He has a website and blog for writers and wanna be writers called Storyline, which I highly recommend if you like to write or if you have a life story begging to be told.

 

Really though, I do want to conquer my practice of procrastinating. I'll go make myself a list of resolutions that will help me put that troublesome habit aside. But I won't share the list for fear I'll ruin my chance of success.

 

Now back to peeling the old wallpaper off the living room walls. I began that this morning to delay sitting down and writing. Then I sat down to write this to put off that (the wretched peeling project). You see it really is a vicious cycle this business of procrastinating. In my defense, I usually finish what I start. Eventually.

 

I'm so glad God runs our days and nights in a steady and predictable manner. The sun comes up and goes down on schedule. I wonder if God sees to that himself, or does he assign the task out? There's a job you wouldn't want a procrastinator in charge of. Never mind. I won't likely be asked to do it when I get to heaven -- that is, if we're given jobs in heaven. Still, I'd like to gain victory over procrastination in this lifetime. Maybe even in 2014.  

 

Sunrise on Christmas morning. Right on schedule.