Avoiding Double Trouble
There are some things that just seem to naturally go together. They work hand-in-hand and are almost inseparable. How could you have baseball without hot dogs? When you think of Ginger Rogers, you just naturally also think of Fred Astaire. And of course there is always mom and apple pie.
It just seems as though the minute you think of one, you think of the other. The list of these dynamic duos goes on and on. But there is yet another duo that is not so dynamic. In fact, they are destructive duos. When you find one, you can bet that the other is sure to be lurking in the shadows.
This double trouble duo work in tandem to wreak havoc and leave devastation in their wake. They pilfer the dreams of would-be winners. They choke off creativity before it has time to blossom. They fill people with feelings of confusion, disillusionment and doubt. The sole purpose of these despicable bullies is to knock you down and then kick you again and again to make certain you stay down for keeps. Who are these dastardly, sinister, rotten-to-the-core villains? Fear and procrastination; they are double trouble, and if you are not careful, they'll be looking for you.
Fear and procrastination. Procrastination and fear. You rarely find one without the other. Regardless of which one you write down first, they spell big time T-R-O-U-B-L-E. One of the biggest problems they create is they seem to literally paralyze their victims from head to toe. Once fear and procrastination set their hooks in you, it becomes doubly difficult to get anything done.
The biggest fear most people have is the fear of failing. Rather than try something that may result in failure, many people opt instead to not try it at all. There is a huge difference between not trying because you think you might fail and giving it your best shot and failing.
While failing is never fatal or final, refusing to give it your best shot can be. Nobody likes to falter or fall short . You simply need to get your emotions working for you, not against you. You'll discover that fear is in reality only false evidence appearing real.
PulsePulsePulsePulsePulsePulsePulse
Tech Procrastination Do you play games on your PDA or cell phone at work or school?
32% - Yes, teenagers who play cell phone games at school.
20% - Yes, adults who play games on their cell phone or PDA at work.
33% - Of adults & Youth age 12-55 have purchased a game for their cell phone or PDA.
Have online and video games become a homework procrastination aid?
Each week, teens spend an average of 3 hours playing online games and 4 hours playing video games - average amount of time they spend studying per week (7 hours).
(AOL Games Poll, April 21-May 1, 2005, 801 adults age 18-55 and 204 teenagers age 12-17.)
Procrastination,
Keeping Up With Yesterday
Try these ideas:
Persuade Yourself. Most procrastination is the result of irrational thinking because you think the task is awful. Convince yourself that the task is worth doing, even if it's hard getting started.
Challenge Your Excuses for putting the task off. For example, if you generally excuse yourself by saying, "But I work so well under pressure,” argue that "Working under pressure really leaves me stressed and tired and I don't have the time I need to be creative."
Jog Your Memory. Put important papers in a red folder. They must be done today. Signify important items on your "to do" list with a red star. Use any gimmick that keeps you on track.
Divide and Conquer. Break big tasks into small pieces and complete one piece every day.
Develop a Routine. Confirmed procrastinators usually work in a feast or famine pattern. One way to fight the tendency is to schedule frequent tasks for regular times.
THE PARENT POVPoint of View
See if your youth can identify with these stages.
THE CYCLE OF PROCRASTINATION:
STAGE 1. "I'll start early this time." [But now isn't the right time.]
STAGE 2. "What if I don't start the project in time?" [Feelings of doom over the consequences.]
STAGE 3. "I should have started sooner." [Guilt feeling begin.]
STAGE 4. "I can never enjoy going out with friends." [The pending tasks keep him from relaxing and enjoying himself.]
STAGE 5. "Hey, there is still time." [The moment of truth is closing in; the procrastinator tries to remain optimistic.]
STAGE 6. "There must be something wrong with me." [Self-deprecating comments affix blame and intensify the cycle.]
STAGE 7. "Why bother — there is no way I can finish it." OR "I can't put it off any longer." [The choice is finally made. It is either blown off as not worth the effort or it is finally completed with the realization that it wasn't all that bad, "but I should have started earlier."]
GOD AND YOUR FAMILY
Pray that:
1. We all do not put off prayer until an emergency, sickness or death.
2. We keep watch at every moment for the Lord at work in our lives.
3. The Lord will show you how to overcome procrastination, laziness, and passivity.
4. He will help you to practice diligence and to tackle your obligations and tasks with vigor.
5. You will remember that time is a precious resource that God has given us, and that you will learn to make the most of it.
VERSE OF THE MONTH
"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" Luke 14:27-28
A scholar once surveyed the Bible to find out what the most significant words in the Scripture were. He wanted to find the saddest word, the happiest word, etc. When he came to the most dangerous word, he identified it as: TOMORROW. The word 'tomorrow' he concluded, is a THIEF.....it robs dreamers of their dreams; it robs the talented of their greatest achievements; it keeps Christians from being all that God wants them to be and keeps them from having all that God wants them to have! And.....it keeps men and women from coming to Christ!
Here’s an online Procrastination test that might help:
http://discoveryhealth.queendom.com/questions/procrastination_short_1.html
DID YOU KNOW...
Bill Cosby said: ”Nothing separates the generations more than music. By the time a child is eight or nine, he has developed a passion for his own music that is even stronger than his passions for procrastination and weird clothes."
Master Yoda said: "Do or do not do. There is no try."
Will Rogers said: "Even if you’re on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
Anne Frank said: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
Martin Luther said: "...who waits until circumstances completely favor his undertaking, will never accomplish anything."
TRENDS
Forbes.com rated the Top 5 Smart New Cars for teens in 2006. Here are the winners and the base price for each car:
• Ford Focus sedan $13,995
• Honda Accord sedan $18,775
• Honda Civic sedan $15,110
• Mazda3 $15,150
• Mitsubishi Galant $19,399 (forbes.com)
FilmWatch
She's the Man - PG-13 For some sexual content. Romantic Comedy
Failure to Launch - PG-13 For sexual content, partial nudity and language. Comedy
Goal - PG-13 For some language and a brief drug reference. Action/adventure drama, sports
