i'm giving up procrastination for lent

That's right.  I'm giving up procrastination for lent.  Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of lent, and I've decided to give up procrastination...today...not tomorrow...today.  :)

I never practiced lent growing up in the Baptist church.  In fact, I didn't know what lent was until I went to college.  I participated in the Wesley House, and that's when I learned about it.  Marrying my husband, we decided to go to the Methodist church, which is the church where he grew up.  Within the last few years, we've become a lot more active.  It feels good to be active in a church again.  Back to lent, when I was in college, a lot of my friends and I gave up things like chocolate...usually unsuccessfully.  This is supposed to be a time of repentance...a time to make things good with God...a time to look to Him in struggles.  As trivial as chocolate may sound, it's a big thing to give it up completely for 40 days.  I heard something last year that I really liked, though.  Someone said instead of giving up chocolate or a food, which so many people do, it's a good thought to give up a behavior that needs to be fixed.  For me, that behavior is procrastination.  I've been thinking a lot about it today, and I realized that if I hadn't procrastinated in a lot of situations, I would have accomplished a lot more.  Making phone calls in my business, asking for help with the pageant, cleaning the house at the last minute before company comes over...the list could go on and on.

So, it's my goal to stop procrastination.  By this, I have to be proactive and act on something when I think of it.  Now, I won't be able to immediately act on things sometimes because of where I am or what I'm doing, but I'm not going to continue to put things off time and time again.  I'm going to do it!  Get things done!  This time, it's more than being accountable to myself.  I have to be accountable to God...which is really who I'm accountable all the time.  After 40 days of no procrastination, things should change in my life, and I'm thinking for the better.

I want to document this and the things that I no longer wait to do but take action and do.  I'll do the best that I can on that.

I've got lots of things to do!

catching up...

I always say that I'm going to be good about writing...that I want to record things so that I can remember them, and then I get busy and a month goes by and I haven't written anything.  I guess this is my time to get caught up with the last month.

The pageant is over.  Praise the Lord!  I survived it, and I won't do it again.  I'm not organized enough to do that kind of thing.  I love pageants, and I love helping with pageants, but as for running the entire pageant...it's not for me.  Thankfully, one of my good friends (who is very together and on top of things) is going to take over the pageant for next year.  My heart just isn't in it.  Although it's a decent paycheck, it's not worth it for all the stress.  I couldn't wait for it to be over.  I had a horrible problem with judges backing out at the last minute the week of the pageant, but we got it all taken care of and it's over.  A great girl won, although any of them would have been great to work with going to the state pageant.  I just have to help get her ready for the state pageant now...and do massive amounts of paperwork.  It will all be over in June, and I don't have to do it again!

Now, I'm trying really hard to focus on my business.  I know that I have to or I'm going to have to go back to get a traditional job, and I really don't want to have to do that.  I think because I'm still bringing in some money, my husband has been okay with me staying home.  At least he hasn't said anything about it, but if I don't have a paycheck coming in, he may verbalize what he's thinking.  I've got to get it done.  I'm trying to stay on top of things.  I wish so much that I wasn't a procrastinator.  I don't know why I do that to myself.  It should be easy just to get over it, right?  I wish!  I've got lots of calls to make this week if I want to get the promotion that I need.  I can do it!!

The last couple of weeks have been a little crazy.  I started a workout, and it's kicking my butt!  I'm on a team challenge through the local gym, and I feel like I'm the dead weight.  I hadn't worked out the first week because I was totally overwhelmed by going in there.  There's so much equipment, I didn't know where to start.  I finally took the initiative and asked someone to help me.  I'm now on a workout schedule, lifting weights with 20 minutes of cardio on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and working in an hour of cardio on Tuesday and Thursday.  I think I'll start swimming on the weekends.  Every muscle in my body hurt so bad last week, but I worked out all five days.  Hopefully, it won't hurt when I go today and the hard part will be over.  I keep trying to talk my hubby into joining me, but he hasn't been convinced yet.  I really wish he would.  It might be fun to work out together.  I'm ready to see the results of the workouts!  Hopefully, it won't take too long.  I know that muscle weighs more than fat, so I may gain at first, but muscle helps burn fat, so I should lose it more quickly by doing this.  We'll see!  I'm ready to see the skinny me again!!

There's more that's happened over the past month, but I'll write them another time.  I've got many things to do today that I need to get ready for.  A workout, a Bible study, some phone calls, and a class for my biz tonight.  Lots to do!  Lots to do!