Just Do It

Procrastination comes in many forms. Laziness, "it's too hard" & being busy elsewhere are all contributing factors. I've been putting off posting a new message for a while due to one of the most common causes of procrastination....I'm not sure where to start.

I don't think you'd call it writer's block b/c I've got lots of ideas, but none of them seem to go anywhere when I actually sit down in front of the computer. Even now, I have no idea where I'm going with this, but I figured the longer I wait for the perfect inspiration to strike, the longer it will take for me to get back to regular posts, which is really my main goal. (Well, that & improving my correspondence with friends, cooking more, reading more, exercising more, & on & on & on.)

John & I had a great talk about this very subject the other night. When we still lived in Toronto, but knew we would eventually move to Portland, our "real lives" got put on hold & everything became, "Once we move to Portland, then we'll (fill-in-the-blank)". I built up this great fantasy that everything I wanted to implement into my life would magically happen once we arrived in Portland. Well, guess what? It doesn't work that way. We've been here for over a year & I STILL don't do a lot of the things I promised myself I'd do.

I think this is a common trap. It's easier to create the best version of yourself in your mind than it is to physically do it on your own. It takes hard work, commitment & accountability to make your dreams come true. And too many times, for me anyway, hard work loses the battle to easy routine.

I've learned a lot about myself over the past few years...the most prominent thing being that I tend to apply "all or nothing" thinking to most things I do. I'm that person who thinks that a workout is only a workout if it lasts for an hour & makes you sweat. Or that if I can't finish a task on the same day I start it, I shouldn't start it at all. This is not the way I want to be. It's making me miss out on way too much in life. It keeps me too much in my head & not enough in the present moment.

I want to be able to do things for the sake of the experience, not just the outcome. I want to try new things without feeling the need to get them perfect. What is perfect anyway? This is something I'm going to work on. But rather than waiting for the most opportune moment to work on it, I need to just do it now! There is truth in the theory of changing habits in small steps...it does lead to big results...but I've still got a mental block when applying that advice to myself.

At the end of our talk, John & I promised each other we're going to start living & enjoying our lives rather than being hyper-responsible about everything but ourselves. We need to come out of our self-created homebody shells & start experiencing the life we envisioned for ourselves out here. We need to start celebrating things for no reason other than the fact that it's Tuesday.

I can't think of a better time for this realization to kick in b/c 4 days from now, we'll be going to pick up Marn at the airport! She's coming out for a visit & I'm SO, SO, SO looking forward to seeing her & having some much-needed girl time. I already know having her here is going to be one of those great experiences I've been waiting for.

Working on being present,
PortlandGirl

Hot Summer Nights

In case you haven't heard, it's pretty friggin' hot in the Pacific Northwest right now. The WelfAIR Conditioning is back on. For those of you who haven't been enlightened, WelfAIR Conditioning is what you have to resort to when your apartment doesn't have A/C & it's 100 degrees outside. We've upgraded this year to the "Put a Pan of Ice Water in Front of the Fan" model.

I think it's broken.

Quote from John: "It's almost as hot as fire in here."

Keep your cool,
PortlandGirl