We could have stayed on the lake longer, but were hurried back to the cabin for reasons that didn't matter. I could have taken 1,000 more photos, but we decided we would go back out on the lake "later". There was and never will be a "later"....
That has probably happed to you, too. Yet I bet you still believe you will do this or that "later".... Then when you lose the opportunity to do something "later", you gain a regret to add to your "Regret Pile"! Hmmmmm....
What does one do with a "Regret Pile"? .... hah, you use it to "beat" yourself up with! More accurately, you waste your "Nows" with internal whining over lost opportunities.
If you can blame others for your "Lost Opportunities", all the better! Then you can whine out loud, sucking all the joy out of the moment of "Now" for everyone else around you. Yes, Misery does love company!
If you want to enjoy today, listen to me, and STOP putting things off! Just stop it!
Take that "Regret Pile" and put it in the garbage. You can't do anything about yesterday's "I'll do it later".... mistakes.
All you really have is "now", so begin to use it to it's fullest....
The "I'll Do It Later" philosophy seems to permeate ones life like a "dancing baby" virus. Before you know it, there are so many things in your "Later" pile, that you become overwhelmed! I speak from experience....
Now here's a good first step to take... Pick a small daily chore that you usually put off, and take two minutes to do it!
I used to put off making my bed. I became so lax, that finally I was making the bed at night, just before I went to bed! I don't think I was being lazy, because I was busy all day.... That was my excuse, "Oh, I have this to do, so I'll make my bed later". Then all day, every time I saw the unmade bed, it bothered me, but I always found something more interesting or pressing to do. I would beat myself up a bit, but still walk past the unmade bed.
When I experienced my "Eureka Moment", about the infamous "Later" I began to make my bed in the morning again. Now, I say to myself "There is no later.", and I take the two minutes to make the bed. I feel a lot better about myself.
Every day I do at least one little job that I have been putting off for "later". These little accomplishments enhance the quality of my life.
If you are a procrastinator, you too can improve the quality of your life! .... Small steps will eventually take you to the top of a skyscraper.
In the meantime, I am enjoying the many photos I was able to take at Gould Lake in 2008, and now I take my camera everywhere with me. If I see something in the moment that I want to photograph, I have my husband turn the car around. It was worth it, to miss those other photos of Gould Lake, because I learned an important lesson.... There is no "Later".
So I hope you too will learn from my lesson! Love to you "Now", because this Wild Old Lady is going to her studio to paint ... Now!
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