In his book, “Grace For The Moment, Volume II,” Max Lucado shared this thought: “Someday,” we say, “I’ll take her on the cruise.” "Someday”, we say, “I’ll have time to call and chat.” "Someday, the children will understand why I was so busy.” But you know the truth, don’t you? Some days never come…”
Some of us may have committed the sin of omission due to procrastination, postponing things, hoping that someday we will have the time to do it. Only to realize that we don’t have the luxury of time — and it’s already too late to do things.
Like the case of a relative who had regrets in her heart. She did not spend much time with her mother until she passed away. She was a practicing doctor in the US. She said, “I should have come home more often while Mama was still alive. This is one of my greatest regrets.”
Lucado advises, "Go to the effort. Invest time. Write the letter. Make the apology. Take the trip. Purchase the gift. Do it. The seized opportunity renders joy. The neglected brings regret.”
Hendrik Edberg, in the positivityblog.com exclaims, “One of the most common problems is procrastination. We know what we want to do and should do. But still end up spending hours upon hours doing “easier” work or escaping via TV, blogs, music or other things we prefer to do.”
Edberg believes that there’s nothing wrong with a little escape from time to time. But if you procrastinate too much you will not get the most important things done.
Along this line, Edberg cites the following timeless tips to help you stop procrastinating and start living with your life more fully:
Stop thinking, start doing. A bit of planning can certainly help you to achieve what you want to achieve. A lot of planning and thinking tends to have a positive effect.
Start with the hardest task of your day. Maybe you have an important call to make that you also fear might be uncomfortable. Maybe you have the last five pages of your paper to finish. Whatever it may be, get out of your way. Start the first thing to do.
Face your fear. It’s easier to live on that “someday” thought. It’s harder to just take action. The harder choice gives you, well, who knows? But it will sure make you feel more alive.
Just make a decision. We feel bad when we sit on our hands and don’t take action. The natural thing is to be a decisive human being and take action.
Finish it. Is there something you want to finish but haven’t yet? Try to get that finished as soon as you can and you will start to feel a whole lot better. As William James once said, "Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”