I’ll Get To It Tomorrow

“The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing, while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.” Proverbs 13:4

Looking through the rearview mirror all I see is an applesauce pouch flying across the backseat. Mind you, I tell Mia all the time not to throw stuff, let alone in the car.

With innocence in her voice and a sneaky grin on her face she says, “I promise to never do it again mommy!”

As I replied back, “Until the next time,” all I could do was smile and chuckle with her. We were laughing for two totally different reasons though. I’m sure her laugh came from the relief of not getting in trouble. But I was laughing because I have this conversation quite frequently with myself.

Truth is, I promise to stop procrastinating all the time but find myself staring at yet another task I’ve decided to put off. Then it dawned on me – I only procrastinate in areas I really want to change in my life. Weird, I know…but change is hard.

Change is one of the hardest things to do and procrastination fuels the fire of resisting that change. I now recognize the extent of damage done by continuously putting off today for tomorrow. I better understand that a lot of my frustration has come from realizing the experiences I’ve missed out on.

Every time I give into this bad habit I’m missing the beauty of the process. Maya Angelou said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” The metamorphosis of a butterfly is a multi-stage process and so is our life. The caterpillar’s main focus isn’t to become a butterfly but to learn each stage so it survives its destination. If my focus is constantly the end result, I’ll never see the value of preparation needed for my next level. Better yet, I’ll never make it there if I stay task-oriented rather than goal-minded.

Procrastination has allowed daydreaming to become the extent of how I get to experience all I know God has for me. WOW! – Actually admitting this statement is tough, but eye-opening. I no longer want to daydream about possibilities but actually experience them.

What have you been daydreaming about but keep postponing? Is it pursuing a business opportunity? A new career? Starting a family? Investing in your marriage? A healthier lifestyle? Whatever it is, go pursue it! Be diligent in what God has placed on your heart. And remember, procrastination is only good for delaying you from experiencing God’s plans for your life.

“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” – Pablo Picasso