Procrastination

"If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting it off."

Today I was inspired to write about procrastination.  Why - because I finally finished my taxes (with 4 whole days to spare)!

I have the bad habit of putting things off.  Perhaps they seem too large, too difficult, like they will take more time then I want to dedicate to them; sometimes I am unsure how to tackle the task, and others I am afraid of doing something wrong (so I continue to wait until I "feel" like I will be able to do it correctly, which of course never happens).

I make to do lists and prioritize them, I just tend to put these daunting tasks at the bottom of that to do list and then I don't get to them and they stay on that list day after day after day . . . and with each passing day the task seems more and more daunting!!

But today, I took a step towards breaking my bad habit - even though I put off doing the taxes for a loooong time, I didn't wait until the VERY last minute to get them done.  YEAH ME!!  We all need to celebrate our small successes and offer ourselves encouragement to help us continually make strides toward larger successes.

So in the famous words of Thomas Jefferson, I hope this blog has inspired you to "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today."

Customer Service

"The customer is always right!"

Today I attended a training session on providing excellent customer service.  The instructor asked us how many of us believed the saying that the customer is always right - not one of us raised our hands.  But then the instructor went on to explain that this saying wasn't so much a literal saying as a philosophy / an attitude.  Even though the customer might not actually be correct, they should always be treated with respect.  Another point that he drove home was that this philosophy needs to be applied not only to our ultimate or end customer, but also to our internal / intermediate customers.

Now this training session was about dealing with customers, but of course, it started my wheels spinning . . . and it led me to think about how these same principals can apply to our everyday personal lives.  What if we treated every person in our lives, each person we encounter on a daily basis, as if they were our customer - smile, greet them warmly, ask if there is anything you can do for them, and maintain the philosophy that regardless of how they act / treat you they should be treated with respect?  Can you imagine what kind of world that would make?

I'm sure it won't be easy, but this a philosophy that I am going to attempt to put in to play in my world!

Live!

"If we don't change, we don't grow.  If we don't grow, we aren't really living." Anatole France

Today's advice for all of us - Live!

Every day - learn something new, expand your mind, change and adapt to your surroundings . . . continuously grow!

IT!

"When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it." Jim Rohn

I believe this quote speaks for itself - the first step to success in any area of our lives is to first know what we want (a target, goal, objective).

This is true for both our personal and our professional lives.  Figure out what you want, figure out what it takes to get it, and set a plan into motion that will lead you to IT!

To-Do

"Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to what they want to do." Kathleen Winsor

This really hit home for me today! I was just feeling exhausted because I was trying so hard to get everything done, but could never seem to get to the bottom of my to do list - and the things that I really wanted to do weren't even on the list, only the things I needed to get done.  So today, I gave up on the to-do list (I know it's not going anywhere).  After work I took a nap, then I went outside with my husband and son to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air while we barbecued hamburgers.  I felt a little guilty, but pushed aside those feelings to just relax and enjoy - my family, the outdoors, and some down time!  It felt amazing!!  And now . . . I feel refreshed and ready to tackle that to-do list again!

So, stay busy - but make sure you are busy doing the things that truly matter, the things that bring you joy.

Happy Easter!

Today is the day that Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  I hope that everyone has had an amazing day celebrating the wonders of this world and the joys and blessings of life!

Because today is the day we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, I thought that resurrection might be a good topic for today's blog.

Resurrection can be defined as 'coming back to life'.  Part of the goal of creating and writing this blog was to 'bring back to life' my ability to dream . . . are there any areas of your life that you would like to or you need to bring back to life?

HOPE
FAITH
DREAMS
GOALS
PLANS
RELATIONSHIPS
HOBBIES
EDUCATION / LEARNING

Let the spirit of the day inspire you to resurrect the components of your life that make you, you!

Treasure

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Luke 12:34

It's Saturday night and it's late, but I want to keep the commitment that I made to myself to post something daily.  Considering that I have enjoyed the day with my husband and son, and that it is Easter weekend (a reminder to each of us just how much God loves us), I thought that the passage above was very appropriate.

Our Earthly life is far too short to spend on things that don't bring joy to our heart and glory to God!  Treasure the moments you have, the people that are a part of your life, and the blessings that you have been given!