On Procrastination

For those of you who know me well, you're already aware that I tend to have a slight problem with putting things off. Case in point: I actually composed a draft on this topic back in 2010! Haha, and that was 100% unintentional. (Full disclosure: I thought it would be funny to put it off for a few posts in a row, but I fully intended to post about it at some point that month.) At least for the past couple of years, I had a pretty dang good excuse: an all-consuming job.

There's probably gonna be quite a few more mentions of how much I hated my old job. Despite how much it took from me, though, I will say that I think I learned a lot. For starters, I never knew that I was truly capable of hard work. I always fancied myself somewhat lazy, and while it is not strictly untrue to say I don't aspire to working hard for the rest of my life, I now carry the self-assurance that when necessary, this ol' boy can man up and get shit done.

Honestly, I even have a sense of understanding when people say they thrive off of hard work. During those rare times when the stars aligned, and my work actually translated directly into results, it felt amazing to see what three back to back 14 hour workdays could accomplish. It felt so good to work hard and get things accomplished, and if I was working in a field that I was passionate about then I really think I could happily do so indefinitely.

I was not passionate about my last job. Combined with the fact that my hard work rarely had anything to do with the metrics my performance was rated on, that job sapped at my very soul. When a 12 hour workday is normal, you quickly lose interest in your hobbies. It got to the point that I felt like my whole life was on hold; I was procrastinating about living my life, just to strive daily for a job I didn't like while earning a salary that wasn't phenomenal.

I now have a new perspective on life, and how quickly it can pass us by. I literally lost two years in what feels like the blink of an eye, and have very little to show for it. But my days of putting off the enjoyment of living? I'm done procrastinating. Time to live my life to the fullest once more!