Why wait for the perfect time…start something today. Get out of the cave…..let's have few regrets!

Last post was about our daily routine. If you have not read it, please do. I need to clean it up (last post) so it is a little more organized😁. I started a daily routine to reduce a mild case of anxiety. Every weekend I would get overwhelmed with everything that I should be doing but the anxiety would keep me from doing anything. Have you ever just sit there and thought of all that you should be doing and do nothing? Well, that was me. I would say to myself, I should call dad and take him to lunch, I should be cleaning up the garden, I should clean out that bedroom closet, and the list goes on and on. The interesting thing is that we get all this advice on the right action, the right planner, and never do we really no where to start. I found that adding things to my daily routine has helped me get a few things off this list and it helped me lay my head on my pillow and know that I accomplished a few things but still had fun. Your list might be different. You might not care about fingerprints all over the microwave. My husband does not seem to notice them. You might not care about a cluttered house. There is nothing wrong with you. We all beat to a different drum. I find it interesting to know that we all have our pet peeves, and they are all very different. I know because of my marriage. We are totally opposite. His office will prove it😒. But, I wanted to share why I believe in a daily routine so much because it leads into what we all want to avoid…No big regrets when we die. Of course, we will still have a few. I wish I would have learned to play the piano. I might still try, but I did try a few years ago and it was not pretty. There are many common regrets that people have when dying and the number one on most list is waiting for the perfect time! We cannot do everything that we want but at least we should spend some creative thinking time on it. What would make you very proud of yourself today it you changed something in your daily or even weekly routine that you could feel proud of in a year? It might be that you want to spend one day with a loved one once a week. Maybe, a monthly outing with a grandchild. How about reading a book each week? Adding more fresh vegetables to your diet would be a good one. Taking a 5 minute walk each day. Sounds silly but 5 minutes can increase to 10 minutes!

Remember, waiting for the perfect time is like saying no. Here is a list of some common regrets: Notice the #1.

1. Waiting for the Perfect Time. There is never a perfect time for us to take action. No more excuses of I’m too tired. I don’t have the time. I am not capable. Someone else will do it. It’s too late now. Now is not the right time. I am not talented. I am not ready. I’m too scared. Nobody will help me. What if I fail? I don’t feel motivated. I’d rather do nothing. I don’t have the money…yet! People make excuses because of the fear of the unknown. Others are just afraid of change, rejection, and embarrassment. Fear locks us in our comfort zone. And nothing magical or remarkable happens in this safe zone. We have innate traits that want us to stay in the cave where it is comfortable! We must use our thoughts to get our brain to say, “JUST DO IT”. If you let your brain decide, it will do the comfortable thing which is nothing. Most of us all have the same fears, we just need to overcome them and say “screw it” if we mess up!

2. Waiting to be Picked. Today, there are more ways than ever to pick yourself and show your work. Far easier to have someone notice our creative work. We are the only ones who can push ourselves a little further to start something new. Stop waiting to be picked! Choose yourself! If you have always wanted to write a book, start with chapter one today. There are many sites to learn how to begin writing. Start that knitting project today. Sign up for the art class. Get on the internet and do yoga poses.

3. Living Someone Else’s Dream. The greatest challenge in life is discovering who we are; the second greatest is being happy with what we find and making the most of it. The decision to stay true to our own goals and dreams is a life-changer. Make time to pursue our own passion project, no matter how busy we are. You don’t have to wait to be chosen. You can choose yourself. Do something that you have want to do. Please do not say it is too late. It is never too late until we take our last breath. Now, maybe learning to climb a mountain is a little over the top but learning to crochet or paint is not. Maybe it is belly dancing lol…could be different but maybe melts your butter! We have to live by what we want and not want our family or friends think we should want. Again, we must spend creative thinking time on this. Do not let that brain of ours tell us to stay in the cave. Get out of the comfort zone (cave) and live life today doing things you have always wanted to do. It is not too late.

4. Failing…to Try. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” We can only make progress if we take a step. Overcoming the fear of failing is the first step towards success. We need start confronting our fears today and get out of the cave. Taking even the most basic step to start something you want to do is so crucial. Slow progress is better than no action at all. You can only change if you make an attempt to actually do something. I failed miserable trying to water ski on my 60th birthday. I got up and then said “I am good”. That was enough. Nope, I did not want to try to ski around the lake. I tried it, and that was it. I was good with knowing that I did not need to water ski anymore 😂😂. I will just sit in the boat and look at the beautiful scenery or watch others ski! Moving on to another thing on my list. I had always wanted to bake my own bread and started that. It became a little challenging because I wanted to keep eating the bread with loads of butter! I now have cut back the bread baking. Yes, I have had failures at bread baking but still love to bake.

5. Giving up too Soon. There are many things in my past that I gave up too soon. This was the part of the list that really hit me. I use to give up so easily and just say “that is not for me” or “ I am just not good at this” and I would give up. I probably tried to get out of the water skiing at least 10 times but told myself that I would keep trying until my arms had no more strength. Then, finally, I got up and was thrilled but then I was done. Of course, Reagan and Louis popped right up out of the water on their first attempt! I was not envious, I just realized that maybe skiing was not my thing anymore. Why did I want to water ski at 60? Because, I never made time for it and kept saying I want to go water skiing this year but never did. I never made time for it. I was ready for another item on my list. I am now planning short ski trip. I want to snow ski one more time before my bones cannot handle. I hope it is easier that water skiing. I was much better at snow skiing that water.

Don’t give up too soon.

Write that first chapter. Paint that first blank sheet. Cook that first gourmet meal. Plant that garden..(start small). Take that first walk. Sign up for that yoga class. Read that book you have always wanted to read. Watch that series of “I LOVE LUCY” that has been on your list. Paint that room. Fix that dripping sink (maybe call a plumber). I am going to go snow skiing. Might be bunny slope or even might be down one hill but I am doing it. Get something from that list in your head and do it.

START TODAY MY FRIEND!

I would love for you to think of one thing today that you want to do that you have always wanted to do but did not get out of the cave. Maybe, it is calling a friend that you have not talked to in years. Maybe it is a walk around the block. Let's get you out of the cave today!