Since I got all sappy on y'all with the bridge post, I decided that this week's "Ain't That The Truth" Tuesday post would be a little more light hearted ;)
But seriously--Ain't that the truth!!! I am possibly the world's worst about procrastinating things that probably indicate my preparedness for adulthood. 8 page paper due? The night before sounds like a great place to start. Laundry hamper over flowing with piles of dirty laundry? Ehhh...it'll make it to Sunday. Do I REALLY need to study for this chem test? I'll just wing it, I mean I probably have like a B in the class. Do the dishes? Nope. *precariously piles on one more plate*
As long as I can remember I have been the most unconventional mash up of perfectionism, and procrastination, and I think I have finally discovered why. It's not that I don't care-- in fact I would say I care too much. If I had to choose a character flaw, caring too much would be somewhere in the top three! My wonderful mother likes to tell me a story when I start to get frustrated/overwhelmed about things. (There was *surprisingly* no sarcasm in that sentence. My mother really is wonderful and this story cracks me up because it sounds like a typical Lizzie moment. Hi mom!!!) When I learned cursive in second grade, I was struggling with some letter (probably a capital "S"...I still can't write that damn letter) and just could not get it right. I was apparently not meeting some standard I had set for myself to be the best cursive writer in the second grade. So, I proceeded to scribble all over my paper, jabbing my pencil into it, until my practice paper was torn and covered in scribbles. Why my mother didn't have me medicated that very moment I will never know.
The point is that I didn't fail out of the second grade. I composed myself and tried again until I could write that letter like the best of them! My mother has told me repeatedly that as long as she can remember I have been the type of person who puts her mind to something and achieves it. So why then, can someone who can be so driven and competitive put things off until the last minute? I honestly think it's all about priorities.
My current priorities:
1. Forgiving myself for being heartbroken & letting go
2. Making it to the end of this semester so I can go to Slovakia for my study abroad
3. Growing in my faith
4. Living it up on the weekends
5. Getting healthy/fit
Not my current priorities:
1. Making good stellar grades
2. Making sound financial decisions *See the "alcohol vs. groceries" argument*
3. Having wrinkle free clothes
4. Keeping my room clean
5. Recognizing, accepting, and embracing the fact that I am soon entering adulthood
Now, some of my current priorities are great. And necessary. But some of the things that I should probably be more concerned about fall under the "things I don't care about" category. And my mind knows this. It's trying to give me multiple real-talk sessions on the daily. Like "Real talk Lizzie--You need to hang up your clothes when you get them out of the drier. You look like a homeless man" or "Real talk Lizzie--How are you supposed to teach high school students in a years time if you can't choose groceries over lime-a-ritas?" And my favorite "Real talk Lizzie--you can't dance well enough to be a stripper, and you aren't coordinated enough to be a waitress. Stop pinteresting and go do your homework!"
So, in order to help you with whatever your procrastination issues are, I would suggest writing down a priority list similar to mine! Think about the things you are realistically concerned about on a day to day basis, and then reflect on that list and come up with things that you should be concerned about on a day to day basis. You might be surprised at what you are putting the most effort into in your life.
-L
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