Today not Tomorrow

- Pope John Paul II

I am the kind of person who has the unfortunate habit of living for tomorrow instead of today.  Occasionally, I enjoy rare bursts of inspiration when tomorrow and today merge, and instead of continuing to put off today’s work until tomorrow, I live for today and take care of my business.  I have to admit, I would much rather live a life full of today’s than tomorrows.

The even more unfortunate truth is that I am certain I am not alone.  Neither am I in a small minority, or even a large substrate of the population.  The people who live for tomorrow instead of today permeate our existence, leaving those who choose today to enjoy the many fruits of this world.  Those of us who sometimes overcome our silent pledge to procrastination occasionally taste the joy the world offers when we power through the resilient bonds we have placed around ourselves.  

- Latin for "seize the day"

We begin to develop the terrible habit when we are young, fostering our addiction like a newfound pet.  I will put my toys away later.  I will brush my teeth in the morning.  I will do my chores after this TV show is finished.  Eventually, minor delays become major obstacles to moving forward in our lives.  School work succumbs to the inevitable; we choose to sacrifice the quality of our work for some simple pleasure that ultimately, if examined further, will turn out to be trivial at best.

- Robert Kiyosaki

Our youth fails to fend off the infection and by the time we are adults our fault has real consequences.  How many have put off paying bills until you get the late notice accompanied by a significant late fee?  How many of us have put off an auto repair until the car dies?  What is a credit card but a way of paying for something later that we want now.

How many people do you know, including yourself, who put off discussing something important with a loved one until too late.  The results can vary from broken relationships or unwanted pregnancies to death.  Most of the time biting the bullet and getting it over with is the better decision.

Ironically, I began this blog last Sunday but ran out of time before lunch.  Did I return to in and finish that afternoon?  No.  Did I have time and choose to do something else of lesser consequence?  Yes.  Have I had time since then?  Yep.

Now, I am not suggesting we avoid taking times to do what we want instead of what we should.  Making decisions about our life is part of free will.  I am asking you to reflect upon your decisions and actions and decide how they are made.  Do you actually live by free will, or are your decisions determined by a series of earlier actions that lead to an addiction to procrastination.  I can understand any reluctance you might feel.  

Turning the magnifying lens on ourselves is often quite hard because we have to admit our faults.  But, I think it is an important step towards leading a happier existence.  So, take some time today and look back at yourself.  Or, maybe you can do that tomorrow?

Garbage In - Garbage Out

I find most demotivational posters funny.  They keep the humor simple, accessible, and pertinent to current trends.  Barney from How I Met Your Mother decorates his office with demotivational posters (what does he do for a living anyway?), keeping anyone who enters his office grounded.  Recently, I found one on Facebook I thought particularly funny.  Under a picture of a hoverboard from Back to the Future II the caption declares “Scientists: You have 3 years.”

I always appreciated the power source for the futurized Delorean - trash.  2015 technology takes garbage and turns it into fuel for flying cars.  Wow!  Somehow, in the next two years, we are going to be surprised with rapid development in antigravity technology and a reimagination of our roadways.

I think many of us believe our bodies work the same way as the Delorean.  We fill our bellies with heavy, unhealthy food, yet we expect to be fit and trim, full of energy.  Somehow, our bodies are supposed to take garbage and turn it into fuel to fly.  I am not sure biology works that way.  Most of us know this, yet we do it anyway.

We treat our mental health the same way.  When we input rubbish, we output rubbish.  Garbage In - Garbage Out.  We are not futuristic Deloreans.  Dr. Brown has not been tinkering under our hood.  We should not expect miracle results after filling our minds with trash.

Please allow me to clarify exactly what I mean by trash.  I am talking about people and situations that pull us down.  How many of us have a friend who chooses to dump on us every time we see them?  That person fills our minds with trash, weighing us down, and eventually bringing us to a place where we are even with them.  Ever heard the phrase “misery loves company?”  Well, it does.  When misery goes in, misery comes out.

The same goes for what you read, listen to, watch on television and in movies.  All the stimulus found in our environments does one of two things - it lifts us up or it brings us down.  Think about your experience.  Do you fill your universe with garbage elements or with uplifting elements?  Do you wake up to a series of demotivational posters, constantly describing how much you suck?  Or is your life filled with the opposite - positive messages, stocking your soul with energy and life?

Garbage In - Garbage Out is true, but so is the opposite.  Surround yourself with people who beam with positivity.  Find friends who always build you up.  Fill yourself with abundance instead of emptiness.  Demotivational posters are fun, but your life should not read like one.

While a Delorean that flies using only garbage is fun to think about, our spirit does not work that way.  The only way we are able to fly is to fill it full of positive energy, freeing us to float high above negative influences.

Frank Chambers

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