I'll Think of a Reason.....Later

Procrastination. I can proudly say I can procrastinate at an expert level. I was scientific about my procrastination in college, and am artful in procrastination when I have the option to be. You might think that when you have two toddlers, it would be difficult to procrastinate because they need everything RIGHT NOW. But don't be fooled, just because their needs are screaming at you does not mean that the other things you need to do (clean the kitchen, write a thank you note, loose weight) are at any level of urgency. I have stacks upon stacks of photos waiting to be filed away in baby books. I have dust collecting in places where I think the mites have homestead rights. That being said, I actually give GREAT advice on how to start something you have been meaning to start doing for the past decade.

FIRST: Start small. Even if this means putting a date on your calendar when you will start doing whatever it is you haven't been doing. Even if this means doing 10 sit ups to start your workout routine. Even if this means reading that dust covered book for 5 minutes, that is 5 minutes more than NOTHING, and you'll be 5 minutes, 10 sit ups, one calendar date closer to your goal.

NEXT: Make a plan using easy and attainable goals. You may set your intention to exercise once a week, if you do it twice one week, imagine how incredible you'll feel! If you are able to reach your goals, instead of feeling dread towards whatever you've been putting off, you may actually recognize said goal as an opportunity for feeling good about yourself - IMAGINE THAT.

FINALLY: Come up with a prize, a reward, for completing your task. Maybe give yourself small rewards along the way to keep your head in the game. Figure out what will keep you motivated and go with it.

I've had the good fortune of being in the presence of people who have helped me to stay focused, who have motivated me to complete tasks I've set out to do. And invariably, I feel terrific when I finish something, certainly far better than I do when I'm procrastinating.

The Happy Cry

Today was the first day of school for one of my children. It was the first day of school for a lot of parents in the area, and I'm wonder if we were all feeling the same thing this morning. As I dropped off my child and left him in the care of his teacher, I felt this overwhelming crash of emotion smashing over me like a huge wave. I was being pushed and pulled in the currents of so many conflicting thoughts and feelings, and I was totally and completely stirred.

I was so happy he wasn't crying, I was excited for him to experience a new school, I was terrified, and I was nervous! What if he feels lonely? What if he's confused and thinks I've just left him behind? And then, of course, I was thrilled! This will be so great for him! He'll be stimulated, he'll be LEARNING! He'll be surrounded by kids his own age! He'll get to grow, and experience new things! After a minute of this manic thinking-feeling-tumbling passed, I had surrendered to the oddest of experiences; the happy cry. I am a pretty notorious happy crier. Truthfully, my crying is a little out of control. After seeing it more than 10 times, I can guarantee I'll still cry at least once while watching the movie "Sex in the City" (which is not even a sad movie).

The thing about the happy cry that is so confusing is that you are feeling so many things at once, and all of those sentiments seem to burst from you in a flash of WOW! I'm crazy! I'm happy, sad, scared, and about 10 other things - all at the same time! BLAH! BLEEK! BOO! It is not rational, it makes little sense, it's totally overpowering, and then, it's over.

I hope that those of you who had a happy cry today embraced it. After all, when you're hit with the happy cry wave, it's hard to dodge.