Don't Take Me Seriously - Book - Page 258
Time-wasting as an art
Take a tip from Rip
any people have “worthy” heroes, such
as Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus or Batman. However, I steer clear of
the usual impossible-to-emulate role models.
Instead, I shoot for what comes naturally –
and, therefore, Rip Van Winkle is my idol
and ideal. You know, he’s the guy who took a
nap and woke up 20 years later.
My tendency to “miss” the days/weeks/
months/years that pass probably arises from
an inability to live in the moment. Instead, I
live in the past and future, where everything
can be “spun” to make me feel better about
M
Jim Walker
Don’t Take Me Seriously
myself … and I avoid the present whenever
possible, as so much of it is spent, you know,
working.
Now, I will admit that my modus operandi might, just maybe, have held me back a
touch, curtailing my much-desired heaps of
world-saving accomplishments, fame and
millionaire-ity.
This was made clear to me two-fold this
week.
First, and of lesser importance to my
self-analysis, I awoke to realize it is already
mid-March of 2013 – almost one-quarter of
the way through this “new” year.
Say what?!
However, I would bet that fact
takes most of you by surprise, as well.
We probably share the shock and
awe over that.
The second, and far more important, cold-shower-on-my-contentment was when I came across some
dusty notes I had written to myself
in September of 2011. These notes
were, basically, a list of short- and
long-term goals that, at the time, I
fully intended to get-busy-on. These
objectives ranged from drinking
more water to dying wealthy.
Needless to say, I am still spitting
dust.
Oh, and the dying-wealthy thing?
Well, I can hang onto that dream
until I, er, don’t.
Adding insult to injury over this
exhumed list of d’ohs was the fact,
just the other day, I had created a nearly identical list of important to-dos – conveniently
oblivious to the fact I had clearly defined
these same goals in 2011. (Do I get props for
consistency?)
Apparently, these goals are really important
to me – and, sadly, one can assume my 2013
list will make me feel even more inadequate
when I rediscover it, sans “completed” check
marks, in, say 2015.
Now, you might think that keeping the list
prominently displayed where I have to see
it every day would be better than letting it
gather dust after it slipped behind the printer.
But my 2013 list is still taped up on my computer, where I can’t miss it – and, even so …
I can. That list has already turned into some
sort of no-need-to-read, handwritten décor.
Yes, it is guilt-inducing décor, but the reason
for the guilt is already getting hazy and, soon,
even the guilt will pass.
And, I’m getting veeery sleeeepy.
But take heart. If you see yourself in this
column, or if you find yourself avoiding
your to-dos by playing horseshoes with old
U-shaped toilet seats, know that better minds
than ours have grappled with this issue.
And we have quotes to prove it!
Good …
“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal
hanging on of an uncompleted task.”
– William James
“Procrastination is the thief of time.”
– Edward Young
Video Link of the Week:
Marching band on a tandem bike
his is short one, but it will still make you smile. A “marching band”
pedals along on a six-man tandem bike – and never misses a note. You
kind of expect a barbershop quartet to be roller-skating right behind them.
Well, something to shoot for, right?
T
http://bit.ly/10qdXGo
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WWW.CONNECTSCV.COM • MARCH 13 - 19, 2013
Better …
“Warning: dates on this calendar are
closer than they appear.”
– Unknown
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up
with yesterday.”
– Don Marquis
“I do my work at the same time each day
– the last minute.”
– Unknown
“Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness
pays off now.”
– Unknown
“The early bird gets the worm, but the
second mouse gets the cheese.”
– Unknown
Best ….
“Procrastination is my sin. It brings me
naught but sorrow. I know that I should
stop it. In fact, I will – tomorrow!”
– Gloria Pitzer
“The sooner I fall behind, the more time
I have to catch up.”
– Unknown
“Never put off until tomorrow what you
can do the day after tomorrow.”
– Mark Twain
Comment at jwalker@signalscv.com or at
http://Twitter.com/DontSeriously.
