I have an obsession.

Do you?

What makes an obsession? Are they healthy? Are they unhealthy? Why do you have it? Does it represent someting that is missing from your life? Can you stop it? Are you ashamed of it?  Would you willingly admit your obsession?

Cut the bullshit and realize one thing: we ALL have procrastinated, are procrastinating, or will procrastinate in the future.  It does not matter whether someone is in grade school, high school, college, in the workforce, or whatever; procrastination does not discriminate. 

Procrastination, defined, is to “postpone doing something, especially as a regular practice.”  To put it in even simpler terms: procrastination means not doing shit on time.  I guess you could make that connection, but some questions inevitably are raised from this statement.  What is time? When it comes to procrastination, time is the regular period in which something can be done with ease and without stress.  Yes, procrastination entails STRESS.  Oh, no!  When someone procrastinates, they are indirectly allowing stressful situations to settle.  So why do it?

Many people have asked, “oh my gawd, how in the heck am I going to overcome my procrastination?! I have so much to do! What ever will I do?” Um, hello!?  Are you that stupid to realize the only way to overcome procrastination is to sit your ass down and work?!  It is THAT simple.  Sure, some people might be like, “well something cool came up and I got distracted and it just went downhill from there.”  Of course, there is something better, cooler, and more interesting than writing a 10-page paper on the life and times of Benjamin Franklin!  People just need to realize that time is precious and they need to respect whatever they are doing by dedicating time to it.

I am not at all saying that people who procrastinate are stupid and should die.  Heck, I procrastinate just as much as the next guy.  It is just that we need to stop!  Believe me, when you cut the bullshit and do your work on time, or even ahead of time, you feel so incredibly accomplished.

Procrastination has become somewhat of a ubiquitous vice in everyone’s life.  Without it, we could do SO much; with it, we can do only so much. Think about that next time you are deciding whether to do your work (which has a time limit) or watch the season finale of The Bachelor (which will be aired three thousand times, to the dismay of many men, before the next installment comes out).

p.s. I am in love with an overweight amusement park employee

What are your Priorities? Today I was told that on Friday I was going to have to attend a funeral for an unknown family member whom I had no physical relations with uncle. The first thought to pop into my head: Crap, I not only have school, but I also have a test that Friday morning. Not knowing how to appropriately approach the subject, I hesitantly replied with, “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go. I have school and a test that day.” What kind of person does that make me? Turning down an uncle’s funeral over a day at school? At the time, I felt like I was pretty much disregarding his entire life and putting more weight on one day of education. Seemed messed up to me. However, I gave it some more thought and weighed my pros and cons.

Missing school, pro. Showing respect to the family and to my uncle’s life, Pro. Missing school, con. Putting my education in front of a relative’s life, con. Not having to stress about school for the day, pro. Having to stress about missing school, con. I was at a stalemate. Then I began to think even more.

People can eat without going to the grocery store, right? Yes. People find different ways to do different things! It is a fact of life. A person can avoid ever walking into a grocery store and still survive. There is fast food, takeout, delivery, or they simply have someone else go. Just because you do something differently than the rest of the population, does not mean that you are wrong! It is simply a different perspective on how to deal with a current situation. I am not obligated, nor should I feel obligated to go to my uncle’s funeral. He is on my heart, and I do not need to prove that by physically showing up to a funeral. I will remember him and show my respect toward his passing in my own way. Until then, rest in peace.

Think about the little things.  Take it all in and accept that even the littlest of things have the potential to make the biggest of impacts.  We have to realize that everything we encounter provokes some kind of thought for us.  Do not hold back on giving credence to seemingly insignificant things.

Breathe.  It clears your mind and calms your spirit.  Do not always go with the flow.  Do not hold back your individuality. Are you living to experience? Have fun? Grow? We all wish to accomplish different things.  Sure I might live for the experience, someone else might live for knowledge, and someone else might even live for money.  Do not hold back on your dreams.

Take a step back and explore with a different perspective. We cannot jump from A to Z; we must first take the necessary steps to get to that destination. It is every present experience that we tackle that allows us to get to the next “letter in the alphabet.”  Someone’s “B” could be completely different than someone else’s “B.”  Someone’s “M” could be the same as someone’s “F.”  Who are we to say they are wrong?  Perception is in the eye of the beholder.  Do not hold back on your own interpretations.

Realize. Accept that people will come in your way.  Just know that you should never hold back on your emotions, on your thoughts, on your spirit, on your endeavors, and on yourself.  People will tear us down, but no matter what anyone else says, you are You. Continue being You.

Remember that every present experience is an endeavor to make it into the future. Live for the moment, but in such a way as to not prevent what is to come.  We have lived. We are alive. We are living. We will live. Never hold back on yourself.