Have you ever attempted to distill the essence of who you are down to one word? For those of you for whom “Gregarious”, “Humorous”, “Coiffed”, “Girthy”, or some other such word comes to mind, let me re-phrase. If your spouse, in a half-drunk stupor, was compelled to describe you in a single word, without qualification, what would it be? If you are anything like me, chances are that in the deep, dark, recesses of your mind, the adjective is less-than-flattering. If you are not like me, well…don’t start now.
I know, unequivocally, that my spouse’s description would be like mine. Because she has told me. Repeatedly. At my core, I am a terrible Procrastinator.

Like the Love of Money and such, procrastination is at the root of so many of my failings, it is impossible to view it as anything but a major character flaw. Stressed from a packed schedule? I could have started most of those items 2 months ago when they first came up. Not getting enough sleep? Pulling all-nighters to complete start and finish work on the day before it is due might be a contributing factor. (I am certainly not referring to a guest blog-writing competition – I have waaayyyy more respect for the host than that.) Irritated and angry with kids that just want a few more minutes of their Dad’s time? Yes, there is a problem here. The crux of the matter, then, is what to do with the guy in the mirror.

Unfortunately, self-awareness is a double-edged sword: it can foster humility and growth or frustration and despondence depending on perceived changes and the extent of grace you receive (from yourself and others). Once a thought like, “Geez, I eat a s***-ton of Bavarian cream donuts every day” enters your mind, that goes one of two ways: You keep guiltily shoveling them in because it’s routine and, let’s face it, they really are quite tasty; or, you drop the pastry, make positive changes, and humbly accept the inevitable set-backs. Thankfully, I have improved on that last point. Now, when my wife says, “Geez, you ate a s***-ton of Bavarian cream donuts today” or “I can’t believe you put off mowing the lawn so long that we can harvest timber!”, instead of becoming defensive and angry, I apologize and cut the dang grass. Right away. Although, it did just rain, so maybe I should wait…