Procrastination: The Thief of Time

Procrastination: The Thief of Time

Procrastination is the Thief of Time. It makes easy things hard and hard things harder. The next thing you know, that easy thing has turned into a huge burden.

How many times do you say, “I don’t have time” or “There’s not enough time in the day to get everything done”? In my case, I say these things, uh, every day. 🙁

Today I realized that TIME is not the problem, I’m the problem. The truth is that there’s always enough time if we don’t befriend the thief, Procrastination. He seduces us with momentary pleasure and blinds us to the PAIN we’ll suffer when we needlessly delay. He lies to us about the ultimate COST to us in the future when we put something off.  Procrastination cozies up to you and whispers in your ear, “You can do that tomorrow, no problem.”

Tomorrow rolls around and you put it off one more day. Then you do it again, and again, and again, and the next thing you know it’s two months later and you completely forgot exactly what it was you were supposed to do. Or, you wait until the last minute and you have to drop everything else, be totally stressed out, and operate on little sleep. It’s hard to do anything, or do it correctly, when you’re irritated and sleep-deprived. Procrastination drives some people to drink or overeat. It can make one less than pleasant to be around.

One day you’re carrying around a marble in the palm of your hand. All you have to do is take 1 minute to put the thing away in its place. It’s quite simple, but you don’t do it. Then you wake up one day and find you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Before we procrastinate, count the cost. Procrastination is a liar and a thief. Just Do It!!!

Or, as we southerners like to say, “Git ’em done!”

 

What Exactly am I Waiting For?

Thanks“My life would be perfect if I just had             .”

 

If you’re like me you’ve already filled in that blank, and you’re tired of waiting. Let’s face it, waiting can be excruciating. We want what we want, and we want it NOW!!!

 

Here’s what I was thinking about this morning. God plants desires in our hearts, which He—and only He—will fulfill.

 

Because I’ve got an innate desire to control and make sense of my circumstances and the world around me, I tend to get carried away with filling in the details. I clutter God’s perfect plan with my details and then find them suddenly wiped away, like a cosmic eraser across my life, leaving me feeling helpless and hopeless.

 

The Good News is that God’s plans are written in indelible ink! They’re engraved on the palm of His Hand. God’s plans never change. It’s only the misguided details that I came up with that change.

 

The antidote to the worry of waiting is to wait expectantly: Wait to see what God will do, while believing that He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

 

The future might not look like you think it will look, but rest assured that’s because it will be much better, far beyond your wildest dreams! You may be asking for a simple stone, a pebble would make you happy, but God not only is going to provide you with bread instead, but with a ten-course meal served at the most lavish banquet, the likes of which you can’t even fathom.

 

I have an image of children at home on a sunny summer day, searching and searching for a pebble they will never find.

 

Why get frustrated and waste their time trying to find it, when they could be outside playing, laughing, running through the grass barefoot, eating ice cream and riding bicycles? Dad will be home with their surprise, but He’s not home just yet. Let’s have fun and don’t worry about. Dad always comes through!

 

“Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Jesus is in the boat right next to you, in the midst of the storm, and He will instantly stop the emotional storm raging inside you in an instant if you let Him. There’s no need to panic.

 

The harder we try to control an outcome, the more we interfere with God’s plans. Step out of the way and let Him work!

 

The more the children call Dad and interrupt him at work, the longer it will take him to get his work finished and come home with their surprise.

 

When Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands when they thought they couldn’t possibly have a child in their old age, they caused a disaster from which mankind is still suffering the consequences. Once they stepped back and let God work, the seemingly impossible happened: Sarah gave birth to Isaac, and from his lineage was born The Savior!

 

What good does it do to be anxious and worried over something we can’t change?

 

Go outside and play!!! The house is clean and ready, the table is set, it’s time to enjoy the gorgeous summer afternoon!


“Problems are a Part of Life”

My Best Friends ForeverYou can say that again!

This weekend I’ve been struggling with two sick dogs who could have cancer at the worst, liver disease and an immobilizing lipoma at best. I’ve been beside myself worrying about them, especially since my beloved cat of 12 years, Dollie, passed away a few weeks ago.

I can’t take losing my precious dogs.

I’ve been researching home-cooked dog food, since neither of my dogs are eating. If they do eat, they sometimes get sick to their stomachs. I ran across a wonderful statement from a vet that said that as a dog owner, I need to take care of myself and enjoy the good moments with my dogs, which will in turn will relax them and make them feel better, and they need that for their improvement and well-being.

My stress and worry and depression was making it harder on them.

After making myself crazy reading for hours about recommended diets and supplements and trying to understand what was happening, I finally went to the store, bought some organic/preservative-free ingredients, and came home and tried yet another meal that they may or may not eat. I was so stressed out by the time I got home, I could do nothing more than acknowledge that I was doing all I could do. I had to quit spending hours on end worrying and researching and trying to control a situation that is largely out of my control.

To my absolute joy and relief, they ate!

Now, we’ve already had a couple set backs, but we’ve taken a few steps forward too, so I’m thanking God for those little victories!

I can choose to focus on the problems and the depression, and make things worse for my dogs and me, or I can do what I can do, let go, let God, and enjoy my sweet dogs right now.

Today I’m choosing to live in the here and now and not worry about tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week, or month or year for that matter. No sense in stressing over tomorrow—it’s not here.

God gives me all that I need to get through right now, and, despite the turmoil, I’ve got so many blessing to be thankful for.

I will focus on God’s Blessings and thank Him for another day! I hope that you will too!

Stressed?

8560655_sI wanted to share with you some AWESOME advice from my friend, Trina Bresser Matous, who is my featured guest blogger today. I personally needed to read this post today because my procrastination, my “tendency to not be early” and my inability to say “no” cause me TREMENDOUS STRESS. So, without further adieu, here’s Trina!

 

Too soon … way too soon. Every year my neighbor’s maple tree started turning color – which I love – in August – which I didn’t love at all. The tree was a reminder far earlier than I wanted that summer was coming to an end. I’d see the first tinge of red in mid August, while every other tree was still green. By the end of September, when most trees were just starting their color transition, this tree had lost most of it leaves.

Then, one year, the tree didn’t turn color in August. A fluke, I thought, but the next year, the tree again didn’t turn color in August. Curious, I asked my neighbor. It turned out he was using a weed trimmer to cut the grass around the tree. Not only was the grass trimmed, the bark at the bottom of the tree was repeatedly gashed. Loss of the tree’s protective bark meant the mid-summer heat and low rainfall caused a higher level of stress on this tree than a healthy tree experienced. Who knew?

Once my neighbor allowed the bark to grow as it should, the tree wasn’t stressed and was able to retain its green leaves longer.

That got me to thinking about stress. I wondered if there were any similarities between the tree and me. And I realized there were. I experience stress. Some of it, like the summer heat and lack of rainfall, is beyond my control. Yet other stress, like gouging the tree’s bark, is within my control. Could I, like the tree, flourish better in the circumstances I found myself in if I minimized the controllable stress? The answer seems to be yes! Here are three areas I unduly add stress to my life.

 

  • Procrastination I hate to admit it, but I am a procrastinator. I often seem to put off what needs to be done until only days or even hours before it needs to be done. My quick assessment of the time something will take is always an underestimation. When I finally get to absolutely having to get the project done, I generally haven’t left enough time. The first step to changing just about anything is recognizing that a problem exists. As I recognize my procrastination and more importantly, the resulting stress, I can begin to take action. Knowing I work best under deadlines, I now break projects into parts and set a deadline for each part. I have also begun to allow more time than I think I need. Finishing ahead of schedule is much less stressful than being behind!

 

  • Leaving Late I am almost always late. I have joked that I was born two weeks late and have never caught up. But the joke has serious stress consequences. More than once I have driven like a maniac trying to shave two or three minutes off my travel time so I won’t arrive quite as late as it looked like I would be. Why am I late? Generally for a combination of two reasons. First, I underestimate (again!) how long it will take me to get ready. Second, I try to squeeze one more task into the few minutes I have before I have to leave. To combat the first, I plan to leave at least 10-15 minutes earlier than I think I need to. This gets me moving earlier and leaves the bit of margin I need to walk out of the house with enough time to arrive on time. Dealing with the second is a bit harder as I just need to recognize when I need to be leaving and leave without adding the one more thing. It helps to know my tendency and decide in advance that I don’t want to deal with the stress of leaving late.

 

  • Saying Yes I used to think it an honor to be asked to help with whatever someone was asking me to help with. I’d fill my time with all kinds of tasks and leave no room for getting to the things the Lord was calling me to. I’ve learned that saying no is not a bad thing and I don’t need to feel guilty about saying no. I still love to help out when I can, yet am much more willing to say no.

 

How about you? Are there stresses in your life that are within your control? Can you make a few adjustments that will remove some of your stress? Are there ways you can add some margin to your life?

Trina

Trina Bresser Matous

 

By Trina Bresser Matous

Meet Trina: Trina has a Masters of Arts in Christian Ministry from Ashland Theological Seminary and is a passionate Bible teacher and writer. For over 20 years, she has shared Biblical truths in compelling and memorable ways as a Bible study leader and a member of the Restorative Prayer Team at her church. Her three week, 2,400 mile trip through Turkey in a rental car visiting historic sites including Istanbul, Ephesus, Cappadocia, Haran and Antioch, as well as two trips to Israel’s holy sites bring reality to Trina’s teaching and writing. Additionally, Trina is an avid birder, loves to cook, travel, work in her garden, and knit, especially lace. She and her husband live in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.

Connect with Trina:

 

  • Trina_Book

I Love Trina’s New Release! Paul’s Letters to the Early Church (Click here to see my book review)

Reading and studying Paul’s letters can be a daunting task. Verses often require a great deal of study, prayer, and meditation in order to gain an adequate understanding. But don’t lose heart! God reveals His Word to those who earnestly seek Him (Jer. 29:13). Paul’s Letters to the Early Church is designed to assist you in your relationship with God, help you understand difficult passages, shed new light on familiar verses, and gain an appreciation for statements made within the confines of ancient cultural practices. You will learn about Paul and his intense desire to see both Jews and Gentiles not only know about the work of his Savior, Jesus Christ, but also personally experience the love, grace, mercy, and redemption offered by the Father through the sacrifice of the Son. As you learn more about the history and purpose of each verse, you will find yourself growing in wisdom and knowledge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Unstuck

Remember this tale from Mother Nature the next time you get worked up into a panic. The secret is so simple, but it’s the opposite of what we feel like doing.

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She’s Heard It All

Straight from the horse’s mouth! From a Judge who’s heard it all, here’s some priceless advice to help you avoid emotional turmoil, alienating family and friends, and spending unnecessary time and money litigating.

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Social Media Sabotage

zipped lipsRemember the old adage, “loose lips sink ships”?

Today, loose fingertips blast ships into smithereens.

Tacky tweets, ferocious facebook updates, smutty pics, and malicious public posts can and WILL be used against you in a Court of law or otherwise.

On numerous occasions I’ve seen parents and spouses pummeled by their social media activities. If it’s on the world wide web, even if it’s shared with “friends only,” rest-assured it will resurface at the most inconvenient and embarassing times.

As good as it may SEEM to feel at the moment to read more…

Guess What Happened?

Day 2 of the #NoComplaintsChallenge

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I’m ashamed to admit it, but I had NO IDEA how often I complain! I like to think of myself as generally being a positive, happy, upbeat person—I was shocked at how often I’ve found myself biting my tongue! Find out what happened, if you haven’t taken the challenge, I hope you will, and please let me know how it goes!

#NoComplaintsChallenge

No Complaints Challenge

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Today’s Definitely a Monday!

angry irritated womanWhat do you do when life throws you a few curve balls?

Today I had a nice, organized list of tasks to accomplish. Before I even had a chance to look at my list, my mother had a crisis of epic proportions: she couldn’t watch ANY of her favorite shows because our satellite service provider is currently not carrying that particular network.

My morning was derailed.

What could I do about this problem?

Obviously, there’s not much I could do about the cause of the problem. I have no control over the two companies who are in contract negotiations and may or may not reach an agreement.

All I could do was figure out how I could respond to put out the fire. Unfortunately, I felt like I was wasting time when I could have been checking items off my task list, and it made me irritated.

The fact of the matter was that actually doing the things I had to do to help my mom by putting out the fire was not what irritated me.

It was the interruption of my plans and the detour in my day that got me out-of-sorts.

You may be truly having a crisis of epic proportions.

Do you feel like you’re suffering through a crisis that you don’t deserve and that’s ruined your dreams?

Did your spouse let you down when your marriage didn’t turn out like you had planned?

It stinks.

It’s not fair, it’s not right, it shouldn’t have happened. But, it did happen, so the question is HOW will you respond to this life-derailment? 

Will you make the necessary repairs, get back on track, and continue on, or will you remain a heap of crumpled, useless, metal?

I realized this morning that, on one hand, I could complain, snap at my mom for wanting to watch her TV shows, and blame the people who couldn’t reach an agreement to provide us with services we’ve paid for and expected to receive.

On the other hand, I could accept the fact that I can’t control the network or the service provider, I could do what I could to enable my mom to watch her shows, and then I could  get back to my list.

Complaining, blaming and lashing out at my mom wouldn’t change a thing. She still couldn’t watch her TV shows, and I would be even more worked up and annoyed.

As irritating as the whole interruption was, I had to deal with it, which is what I did. I’d like to sit here and tell you I didn’t complain at all and didn’t lash out at my mom. After 2 hours of trying to access her shows online and hook up my digital TV receiver that came with my internet, with another service provider, I was not a happy camper.

It was at that time that I realized I could either finish doing what I could to help my mom, or I could complain and blame. It was my choice.

Loss of a few TV shows is NOTHING compared to the loss of a marriage, family, and security.

However, the principles for handling these situations are the same.

It’s never easy when life doesn’t turn out as we planned.

We do have a choice: will we complain, blame, be angry and grow bitter, or will we do what we need to do to handle the situation the best way we can, accept it, and move on?

Labor Day Lonelies?

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read more…

What’s Fair is Fair

gold nuggetsWhat do you do when someone treats you unfairly?

My dad always told me, “Kendra, life is NOT fair, ” and “the world doesn’t owe you ANYTHING!”

I hated it when he said that, and he said it a lot, because, I was always wanting “more, more, more” even though I had far more than I ever needed. I just didn’t see it that way at the time. read more…

Lessons I Learned From Bill Clinton (The Art of Effective Communication)

42nd U.S. President WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Say what????

Regardless of your personal opinion of “Slick Willy,” he is a master politician. So, what, you might ask, does the 42nd President of the United States have to do with me?

Well, I will tell you. Bill Clinton has a reputation (no, I’m not talking about that reputation) for making the person he’s talking to feel like he or she is the only person in the room. It’s been said that he will go so far as to look at someone through the bottom of his glass of lemonade while they are talking to him.

read more…