Daily Gratitude: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

Sounds pretty obvious, huh? I’m sure you’re wondering “so what Terrie? we all know that.”

I am sure everyone knows this. However knowing it doesn’t keep people from procrastinating and then complaining about how they can’t get things done or whatever they’re doing isn’t that good because it was “rushed”.

I have known this concept for years and yet I still procrastinate. So I’m not pointing fingers. Just reminding people.

It’s also helpful to put some sort of excitement into whatever you have to do. That makes it something to look forward to.

I make lists but that doesn’t always help. I just end up moving the same thing to the next day.

My parts (IFS-Internal Family Systems) hold the secret to why I procrastinate. If I don’t finish something then no one can ever see that I’m not perfect. They can’t criticize what I’ve done. This part is too young to comprehend what people can criticize when I procrastinate. Parts are not insightful. They have one job and that’s to protect me. In this case it’s to keep me from doing something less than perfectly.

Until I realized that, nothing I did would overcome the procrastination. Fear is such a pervasive emotion. It’s like mold. It permeates every aspect of your life. But you don’t recognize it until the damage has been done.

Anyway, it’s been a long time since I’ve written about IFS and I thought this topic was a great way to reintroduce it.

If you’ve been interested in IFS, have you looked into it? If not, why not? Why are you procrastinating? You don’t have enough time? Well then, you’re not that interested, right? See how insidious it is.

Daily Gratitude: “Freedom”

They signed on the dotted line.
They stood in line.
Hair shaved off.
Shaking in their boots.
They trained.
They deployed.
They died.

No one signed up to die
But they all knew it was possible
They felt something for their country
Something very deep
A love they couldn’t even describe
Some were so young it was the only love they ever knew outside of home

But there was another love
The love of a comrade
Having someone’s back
Someone to protect
Knowing that they have your back
There’s perhaps no greater bond in the world

Never take freedom for granted.
It’s disrespectful to those who never came home.
That’s not what they signed up for
But they knew it was a possibility
They loved you and didn’t even know you
How can you not feel the loss of all those who never returned

You can have your barbecues
You can party
You can complain about the weather, the traffic, the price of gas.
If you do complain though, realize that someone died so you could retain the right to complain
Think on that and then see how important complaining is

Some mother, some father, some spouse, some kids are wiping tears while you’re complaining.

What have you given that’s equivalent to what our armed forces have given?
What right do you have to disrespect them?

There’s an empty chair at some dinner table.
What if that was your dinner table?

Memorial Day should be every day.
But at least today you can say “thank you for giving your life so I could have freedom.

Thank you Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Coasties!

Daily Gratitude: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”

We all don’t have to have things named after us; we don’t have to have accolades reaped upon us; we don’t have to find a cure for cancer.

We just have to do whatever is in front of us the best way we can…no matter how small the project or task is.

Take pride in everything you do. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

Whenever you start something, take a minute and make the intention that you will give it all you have and will do the best possible job. Do this with simpler things like doing the dishes, washing your car, picking up after yourself, catching and stopping yourself from complaining, etc.

After you’ve mastered this with the simple things, move on to the harder ones. Starting small and easy makes it become a part of your life, a habit. Once it’s part of your life, dealing with the harder tasks becomes easier.