Have a one word resolution for 2009

I have fallen off course. I am re-committing myself to this goal. My life won’t change into what I want it to be unless I DO.

I have had some moments where I lost sight of this goal but I am back on track. I have seen the quality of my life improving each time I “DO” something instead of just thinking about it or putting it off until later.

I am still not going as well as I would have liked but I still am doing something. I give myself credit for starting over each and every time instead of throwing in the towel and giving up when I fail. I am currently researching ways that others have successfully overcome procrastination. I have missed out on a lot of opportunities and I don’t want to miss out on any more.

It is cutting down my tendency to procrastinate or laze about or miss out on new experiences.

My resolution has made a difference in my life today…or maybe it is my resolve.

I could have slacked off today with my exercise and some other tasks I had to do but I didn’t. Even though I didn’t do my best today I did do. I am sure it will get better with time and effort.

Let me start off by saying for me this is much harder than it looks.

Whenever I feel tempted to slack off or procrastinate I just repeat “do” to myself then I muscle up and do what I have to do. I haven’t had a 100% success yet but I’m working on getting disciplined enough so that it can work every single time (or at least 90% :-)!).

I have done several things since yesterday which I could have just thought about doing.

For example, I went out to look at fireworks last night. I had a splitting headache and could have just easily stayed in bed but I went and had a ball. The experience didn’t go as planned but it was far better than I expected it would have gone (even if I did get to hear the gunmen blasting off their own new year’s gun salute).

1. make: engage in; “make love, not war”; “make an effort”; “do research”; “do nothing”; “make revolution”
2. perform: carry out or perform an action; “John did the painting, the weeding, and he cleaned out the gutters”; “the skater executed a triple pirouette”; “she did a little dance”
3. get (something) done; “I did my job”
4. proceed or get along; “How is she doing in her new job?”; “How are you making out in graduate school?”; “He’s come a long way”
5. cause: give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally; “cause a commotion”; “make a stir”; “cause an accident”
6. practice: carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions; “practice law”
7. suffice: be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity; “A few words would answer”; “This car suits my purpose well”; “Will $100 do?”; “A ‘B’ grade doesn’t suffice to get me into medical school”; “Nothing else will serve”
8. create or design, often in a certain way; “Do my room in blue”; “I did this piece in wood to express my love for the forest”
9. act: behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; “You should act like an adult”; “Don’t behave like a fool”; “What makes her do this way?”; “The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people”
10. serve: spend time in prison or in a labor camp; “He did six years for embezzlement”
11. carry on or function; “We could do with a little more help around here”
12. bash: an uproarious party
13. dress: arrange attractively; “dress my hair for the wedding”
14. the syllable naming the first (tonic) note of any major scale in solmization
15. travel or traverse (a distance); “This car does 150 miles per hour”; “We did 6 miles on our hike every day”

I too often plan and dream and fantasize and eventually procrastinate and lose focus. If God grants me 2009 I will “do”.