I am a world class procrastinator. I put everything off until it starts screaming at me that it can be ignored no longer. Sometimes it just seems so much easier to put things off than to deal with them right here, right now. There are so many things we would rather be doing than what needs to be done.

In the long run procrastination does nothing for our self-esteem, it does nothing to further or personal goals, it does nothing for our life. While we try to enjoy doing things we want to do, our minds keep going back to what we should be doing.

When we put off dealing with a problem, the problem only grows. The more we put it off, the larger it becomes until facing it is such a monumental task that we don't even know where to begin. We find even more ways to avoid it, and the cycle continues.

Sometimes we procrastinate out of perfectionism. Most people don’t know that I am a perfectionist, my husband used to laugh when I said it. I certainly don’t look like a perfectionist, my house does not show it either.

The problem is, I sometimes become so afraid that I can’t do something to my own standards of perfection so I don’t even try at all. As silly as it sounds my perfectionism sometimes keeps me frozen in place. I have to stop and remind myself that it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does have to be done.

Part of finding happiness is finding a way to put those nagging voices in your head to rest. Sometimes that means evaluating the voice in our head to see if the threat is realistic. If you don’t dust today, the dust will still be there tomorrow so it probably isn’t a real threat.

If you don’t pay that bill today, it will likely grow bigger tomorrow. Late fees add up, another month passes and the money owed doubles, and emergency hits and the money you intended to pay the bill with must go elsewhere.

There is no point in worrying needlessly, and there is no point in worrying twice, so when you really look at it there is no point in worrying at all. Either it is something I absolutely must worry about today, or it can safely be put off until tomorrow.

What are you worrying about today? Is it something you can take action to remedy right now?

Intense people scare me.

It’s just this strange thing I’ve had ever since I was a child. Extreme views in either direction, arguing, insisting on being right, anything that devalues another person. The strange thing is that person doesn’t even have to be attacking me to make me uncomfortable.

When I was fresh out of my four year tour of High School, I worked at a popular fast food restaurant famous for their golden arches. The girl working next to me that day was a round faced blond girl with big blue eyes.

She had always been pleasant to work with, and had never had a problem with a customer before. This customer obviously had a problem with her. Right in them middle of taking an order, I heard her say something we all said dozens of times a day. “Would you like cheese with that?”

This great huge red faced man came almost nose to nose with the girl. “Did I say I wanted cheese with that?” He didn’t even stop to take a breath. “If I would have wanted cheese, I would have asked for cheese!” He yelled at her for some time, something about her being what was wrong with the world today. Kids don’t listen...

I will never forget the look on her face. Her wide blue eyes got even wider, and she leaned back away from him, but did nothing else. Not a single thing. She just let him yell at her. When he was done, she blinked a few times, smiled and said. “Okay, without cheese then, will that be all?”

If it had been me I would have melted into a gelatinous puddle of goo on the floor, a lot of people would have yelled right back. He deserved it, he was rude for no reason but she didn’t. She was a true professional, golden arches logo or not. She just went right back to doing her job.

I have gotten better about handling crisis situations in the seventeen years since that day, I don’t melt into puddles anymore. I’ve been confronted by some real jerks in my lifetime, and I have yet to manage to handle it anywhere near what you would call gracefully, unless you consider bursting into tears graceful.

What really amazed me was how the man handled it. He didn’t apologize, he didn’t even pull back. He was obviously being a jerk, but as he grabbed his tray I saw the superior look on his face, he had obviously won this round, he was proud of making some fast food girl cringe even a little.

I also saw the look of mortified horror on his wife's face. She looked like she wanted to melt into a puddle of goo with me. I still wonder if he was just having a bad day, or if he really was like that all the time. From the look on his wife's face I’d say it wasn’t the first time he had done it, and it probably wont be the last.

I’d still like to come to a point where I can handle it as smoothly as the girl next to me handled it that day. It didn’t ruin her day, it didn’t even ruin her minute. She just faced it and moved on. She took the next order like nothing had happened.

The old man probably spent the rest of his life pissed off at the world for daring to ask if he wanted cheese with that. What a terrific waste of time and energy. I don’t know where that girl is today, I don’t even remember her name now, but wherever she is, I have a feeling she has excelled in whatever career she chose.

Life is too short to spend it pissed off at the world, if I know nothing else I know this.

Intense people still scare me though.

The greatest gift you can give to the world is the gift of yourself.
There has never been another you, and never will be.
You have thoughts and ideas to offer the world that nobody else has.
You have a personality that is uniquely yours, and dreams that only you can dream.

There are mistakes that only you can make, lessons only you can learn.
It is a true blessing to have someone beside you to share the journey each of us must make,
but even then we must remember that the journey belongs to us.
We all must take our own path, and they don’t always end up in the same place.

There is room in this world for everyone, for thoughts and opinions on any number of subjects.
Do not limit yourself to only those who agree with you, or you miss opportunities to grow.
Never miss an opportunity when it presents itself, experience all you can.
You will regret the things you didn’t do much more the things you did in years to come.

Do not expect another to do for you what you are capable of doing for yourself.
Do not seek out conflict, but do not run from it when the cause is just.
The road to hell is not paved with good intentions, but with malice, jealousy, and revenge.
The road to heaven is paved with love, passion, and sincerity.

Stop looking at others ideas of heaven, and what you should do to go there.
Create your own heaven, right here, right now on earth.
Surround yourself with those who love you, give love as freely as you receive it.
Life is too short to spend it wallowing in a pit of despair.

Seek out those things which bring you happiness, do them as often as you can.
Should you die tomorrow leave a legacy of compassion and laughter behind you.
Self-pity bitterness, and resentment destroy the spirit and dull the mind.
Do not dwell in misery any longer than you you must.

Living in the past is reopening old wounds, refusing to allow them to heal.
The past and the future can not coexist, why risk missing the present entirely?
You have had the key all along, what you lacked was the courage to use it.
Set yourself free, live your life, allow others to live theirs. Go now.