Action Now, Procrastination Later

People are always amazed at how enthralled I become when watching an excellent movie. I become oblivious to anything and everything going on around me--much like an escape artist. The really great ones are etched in my mind forever, and help me to view life with more introspection.

Dead Poets Society certainly qualifies as a movie that evokes contemplation. Robin Williams, the film's star, convincingly plays English teacher John Keating. His zest for life is met with opposition by the conservative school faculty, and creates the conflict needed for a good movie. With one statement he helped change my thoughts, the faculty's thoughts, and the thoughts of his students for the rest of time: "Carpe diem. Seize the day...make your lives extraordinary."

Today is the only day of the week that counts and you must act on it. Sure, we have appointments to schedule, work deadlines to commit to, and goals to forecast, but don't procrastinate if you seek results in life. Get done today what should be done today. That piano or French lesson you are supposed to be studying for, the business plan you are supposed to be writing, and the screenplay you are supposed to pen will not get done by osmosis. Procrastination is the one thing that jeopardizes your goals more than anything.

I won't tell you taking action toward the above mentioned to-do list items will be easy. Think back to the times in your life when you were proactive. What were the results, and how did getting the things done that you had been putting off for days, weeks or months make you feel? But how do you get to this action stage--doing what you say you want to get done? Breaking things down into bite-sized pieces is one of the most effective ways to do this. If you'd like to learn a foreign language as an example, and have been putting it off for whatever reason, I've got your fix: focus on learning little by little. The chances of putting off today's French lesson, goes down significantly when you only have to learn to say hello and good bye. Bite sized goal realized. Commit to taking action, and you will be able to order off the wine list in no time.

Now that you have taken action, how do you stay motivated to continue seizing the day? That part's simple, keep your bookshelf stocked with motivational books. You will learn several ways to stay encouraged on a daily basis. In addition to great movies that leave you reflecting on life, a great quote can have a similar effect. Denis Waitley sums up what procrastination is best: "Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the 'someday I'll' philosophy."

Brett Thrailkill is a speaker and the author of, Do We Listen? and can be reached at Motivational Videos
Motivational Posters.

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The Only Path Through The Wilderness Of Life

The only way to really get through life is to be honest with yourself. That is easier said or written than done or practiced. But, it is the only real way to get through life in a good way. I can name so many bad ways to get through life, but only that one good way that I mentioned in the first sentence, honesty. Sure, it can seem ridiculous at times and at most times when everything seems to go really bad. I would like to say this though, when you are honest with yourself, you do not have much else to live up to or impress. You just do what needs to be done. Sure, that is simple and succinct seeming. Can it always be put into practice easily without wanting to take an "easier" way out? I will answer that question momentarily in the next paragraph. Right now, I will explain why honesty with yourself is the easiest way out and the hardest. Sure, we all want a path out of the wilderness without being hurt, messed up or with as little damage as possible, of course. Since, in reality, getting out and surviving whole starts with the resolve to do such a thing, I will say this: You cannot get out unless you accept or take the way out. Hard or easy, effort must be made to get out of a situation. Even if hope seems to be gone, we must do our best with what we have, if you just bristled and angered at that statement in a disagreeable way, you know exactly what I mean. You may not see the full path out of the situation, but start by considering all possibilities and then take your action.

The person who is too lazy to take action realistically for themselves, and really does want an easy way out deserves what they get outside of what they want is my answer to the question above, and if they do get what is desired, they got off easy, not so much lucky. My reality definition of good luck is "preparation meeting opportunity", not anything superstitious. Bad luck in my opinion is purely superstitious because perseverance is always required to genuinely succeed even if you fail a few times or succeed the first time and want to keep that success working for you. The real curse is quitting before you get what you want. The real blessing is making it work in spite of it all. Honesty with yourself is the ultimate blessing without matter to what anyone outside yourself thinks, does or says. As long a you yourself know and act accurately on what is going on, you have good luck and are genuinely blessed. If you default to quitting and denial, you have bad luck and fail genuinely. Perseverance and honesty with yourself are the lights that light the way through life, all else is nothing.

My name is Joshua Clayton, I am a freelance writer based in Inglewood, California. I also write under a few pen-names and aliases, but Joshua Clayton is my real name, and I write by that for the most part now. I am a philosophical writer and objective thinker and honest action taker.
I also work at a senior center in Gardena, California as my day job, among other things, but primarily I am a writer.

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Age Should Never Stop You

"For of All Sad Words of Tongue and Pen, the Saddest are These, It Might Have Been....." John Greenleaf Whittier

Regret is one of the heaviest emotions you can carry around, and can be released in countless ways: through forgiveness, through spiritual practices, or, in many cases, some healthy tears about what might have been.

In every case, if you do not obstruct the natural expression of life, there is another possibility, which can only be entertained if we are willing to become fully present to our deep soul self. If there is regret, there is also a desire to have the essence of what you regret in your life. Based on the Law of Polarity, there exists a corresponding desire to fulfill or realize something. I call this your DREAM.

At whatever age, going for your dream requires courage and willingness to risk, and this can be especially challenging if you are older. One of my clients described it this way, "I have more runway behind me than I do ahead of me, and it feels as if time is running out."

I am here to dispel the myth that time is running out. You are simply running out of excuses!!!

The Soul is the journey of attention through our lives-where we put our attention. If you have a dream that you keep putting on the back burner, you are not putting your heart and soul into your dream, which is why it is not happening.

The most common excuses are allowing others to come before yourself, fear of failure, and choosing some illusion of security over risking whatever you would have to risk to fulfill your dream. I see it all the time when people express a desire to start their own business, but are not willing to take money out of savings to invest in the support needed to do just that. They are saving for a retirement in which they will still wonder what might have been.

The truth is that one of the biggest reasons for people who consider themselves "older," (50 and above as far as I am concerned) hesitate to take the necessary risks is not because they are any less capable than younger people. It is because you must humble yourself to become a beginner again, and revisit all the fears and insecurities that kept you from taking the risk all along.

Often you will have successful mentors (as I do) who are far younger than you are. You must be trainable, willing to learn, willing to surrender your false pride and instead, feel a genuine pride that you are putting your money where your mouth is, as they say!

Some Late Bloomers

Think about some of these incredible people, who began later in life:

Juliia Childs did not even begin to cook until she was 40.

Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Chicken fame was 66 when he started his now famous empire.

Georgia O'Keefe revisited her passion for art later in life, and went on to paint for decades. She has been quoted as saying: "I've been terrified every day of my life but that's never stopped me from doing everything I wanted to do."

There are many benefits to being a "late bloomer," or as a friend of mine called me, "ever blooming." In her article, "Women of the Hippie Generation are Emerging as the Primary Sacred Feminine Change Agents," Marlow Aster writes: "I believe that most of the hippy generation are like "sleepers" in our society, just waiting for a cosmic clock to tick over to the time when they are roused once again to their idealistic visions, except this time, they will have power, money and influence on their side, all of which were sorely lacking in their struggles during the sixties and seventies. And the lead seems to be coming from the women of that era."

I have spoken to 3 women this week, in their early 60's, who are on fire with a mission to contribute their particular gifts to the world. I had never met them before, and yet, we immediately recognized each other as "sisters" from an era when we set out to break the rules because they did not make any sense.

And here we are again. Not much is making any sense if you sit back and wait for change, either in yourself, or anywhere else. We have hopefully accumulated some wisdom along the way, and have a perspective to offer that is quite unique to being older. It is no longer about rebelling against the establishment, but co-creating something quite new that has been alluded to by countless spiritual teachers for millennia.

Years ago, when I studied psychodrama, I heard this anecdotal story about Sigmund Freud and Jacob Moreno (the founder of psychodrama) walking and having a conversation. Freud said to Moreno, "I analyze people's dreams," to which Moreno replied, "I help people dream again."

I became a psychodramatist! I still am!!!

What have you been practicing and preparing to do all your life? Your Soul is ageless. You have all the time you need!

Kathleen Hanagan, LCSW, coaches committed individuals and business owners who want to make a difference into breakthrough terrain where they take quantum leaps to manifest the level of success they have been dreaming about. She combines her passion for relationship work, expertise in business, and her mastery in the emotional realm, with her commitment to expanding the consciousness of Oneness on the planet. Her unique mentoring programs, VIP intensives and workshops serve as a roadmap to support those called to contribute their gifts, by helping them release limiting beliefs and patterns and stepping into their brilliance, while manifesting genuine prosperity. Join her at http://kathleenhanagan.com/, to apply for a complimentary breakthrough strategy session, which will pave a path to profit with a deep sense of purpose.

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