There's a first for everything.

I have to admit to having lofty visions of everything my blog could be, and all the joy and pleasure (not to mention insight) that it would bring to every reader's life. The only problem was that I never acted on the impulse. Over the past two years I've ridiculed/admired those who've written a blog, and had the gall to tell others about it. Well, today I join their ranks; today I decided to F procrastination (short for fail at procrastination).

Better late than never.

Dammit! I couldn't find the exact sources I was going to use in citing some interesting tips I'd read on stopping procrastination, but I was able to at least find something that sounded interesting here.

Maybe I'll use this strategy - if somebody held me to it, but the odds are in favor of it being another technique or theory that gets shelved. Last week I was speaking with a co-worker who I noticed was a fellow self-improvement "junkie". I pointed out that we both shared the common flaw of actively collecting great ideas and teachings with a much smaller emphasis on implementing them. He laughed - not because it was funny, but because of how pitiful we are in light of this observation.

My understanding of self-improvement and progress is constantly evolving the older I get. The one common thread I can identify is the formulaic two steps forward, one step back... if not two or three.

I've turned to a lot of different sources in my quest for a better way of life. I've even taken some insight from some valuable motivational speakers like Tony Robbins.



I've come to learn though, that the direction of travel is often much more important than the position, or the speed. I hope this makes sense to you... but for me it really has meaning as I've reflected on how far I've come, and how obviously and pathetically far I have to go in resembling a normal and functional member of society.

To tell you a little about myself, I've had a lifelong struggle with the virtue of patience. Rather than break into a boring rant and psychoanalysis of my ineptitude in delaying gratification, I'd rather skim over it and use big words to cover up for my lackluster writing skills. I have the patience threshold of a toddler.

There's an official name for this disorder - ADD or ADHD. I'm not sure which one I have. All I know is that the word "spazz" and "hyper" were possibly heard in describing me at times growing up. It might have been used last week. I didn't get officially diagnosed with the disorder until after graduating from college.

I had no idea how much of an idiot I was in delaying this diagnosis for 4 years.

Apparently I could've literally coasted through my college experience. If you go midway through this page, you may notice that my "condition" warrants people taking notes for me, my own testing room, obligatory copies of overheads, and I could've sworn off Scantron tests forever. College could have been so much easier!

I did however get the consolation prize of a lifelong Adderall prescription. Don't even think of asking me for a few pills, unless you'd like to trade for some Xanax. I've always wanted to try that.

So, back to the subject matter at hand. I'm learning that continuous progress is more of a discipline than a naturally occurring phenomenon. The ability to get "back into the saddle" despite a setback is just about as important as having a good plan to move things forward. There are a few other mindsets that I'm finding are elemental in getting from your point A to a better point B on a consistent basis.

- Finding, (I mean really looking for) the joy in the process , and gratitude for how far I've come rather than the gnawing discontent of not arriving at my ideal set of circumstances.

- Taking the time to slow down and committing to learn doing things right the first time, every time - there is no substitute for quality - not even quantity. W
- Being more alert, focused, and present in whatever it is I am doing. I spend so much time in my own world that I miss things that are right in front of my eyes. Before efficiency comes proficiency, and my obsession for multitasking is taking a back seat as I try to do one or two things with mastery rather than four or five things in mediocrity.

- Cultivating what Stephen Covey calls "the pause" between stimulus and response. A lot of times, I allow how I respond to certain situations to be more automatic when I know well enough that my Autopilot probably should have his license revoked.

I was going to think of some other bullet points, but I'm not likely going to write something impactful on the fly without really taking the time to research it. In short, what I mean to say is that this blog will be a work in progress. I hope you find it interesting. If it wasn't, at least I'll make the habit of entertaining you with my favorite page views of the day, or year.

Crap of the day:

Sesame Street blast from the Past - Revisited.

This choice of video is a by-product of my one-time love affair with Japanese culture.
As is this one.

Heralding the glorious return of Mr. T.

This is in honor of my friend Lezlie Wagner
Two videos to remember Steve Irwin AKA The Crocodile Hunter. (note the two different links)