Quotables #2

"You may delay, but time will not."
--Benjamin Franklin

If there's anything I've learned in life, it's that I am a procrastinator. And I'm damn good at it. I can delay a 10-page research paper until two nights before it's due. I'll stress about it and worry and panic in the impending weeks 'til its due date. However, I rarely take any initiative before it is absolutely necessary. It creates added stress in my life that often leads me to emotionally eat or shut down. NOT healthy.

I am not even sure why I delay myself, because it doesn't make time go any slower. You know that feeling of time slipping through your fingers faster than sand? That's often how it feels. And the worst part about it? I could completely prevent it.

There are so many ways you can overcome procrastination, laziness, avoidance, or whatever your problem may be. One way I have found for myself is being extremely organized for it, to the point where I'm throwing it in my own face. Example: I LOVE coloring. It's a part of my childhood I'll never lose. If I'm having trouble getting myself to do something, I've learned I can take my markers and write out a colorful schedule, complete with check boxes and smiley faces to commemorate hitting certain goals. I then put it in a place where I'll always have to see it: in my planner, next to my bed, on my desk. Anywhere where I absolutely cannot avoid it! At first, it can cause a few feelings of guilt if I don't meet a goal. But then, I start hitting my goals, and it's more rewarding than anything!

This applies so well to my weight-loss journey. I've delayed so much in losing this weight. I could have started to take some off or at least maintain at 150 lbs. At 160, 170, 180...But I didn't. It took getting to nearly 190 lbs. before I kicked my butt in gear. Because time never stopped, and I took that fact for granted.

Instead of delaying anymore, I'm listening to good ol' Ben's advice. No more delays in life. It's important to keep my eye not only on the prize, but on the clock as well. Yes, I'm going to have bad hours, days, even weeks. But as long as I remember that the clock isn't going to turn back just because I had a set-back, I can keep moving forward in my journey.

I also hope you remember to keep your eye on the clock. Time flies, not just in weight loss journies. Make sure to love yourself and the people around you, because eventually, they might not be right there anymore. And you'll wish you had listened to Mr. Franklin.

Don't let it get to that. Give your parents, children, family, and friends hugs. Tell them you're there for them. Because they'll give back to your life as well. They'll be there to support you when you have those little set-backs that time cannot erase.

Keep your head held high, and stop delaying NOW.