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Procrastinating

— By Paul McGowan —
When's the last time you rolled your sleeves up and cleaned out your system? You know, the area where no sane human dares bring the vacuum cleaner near or the dust cloth within reach for fear of getting yelled at for "messing things up"? Or have you been planning on "getting around" to something that just hasn't happened? Maybe it's selling off the old gear that's been accumulating, perhaps trying out that new DAC or power conditioner, buying the music your friend wrote you about, the one you've been meaning to hear? If you are like me, you're an expert at putting something off. In fact, I'll bet most of us spend a lot more energy putting things off than we would have invested if we'd only just make it happen. It's human nature to procrastinate, and we're all pretty good at it. Whenever I find my list of projects growing to an uncomfortable level because these excuses:
  • I don't have the time
  • Too many projects
  • I simply cannot fit another one in
  • I am swamped
  • It's too late to start
  • I could never achieve that goal
....I spend a few hours reading my favorite book on the subject, The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield. The title is an obvious play on the famous work by Sun Tzu, but VERY different. It's a short read, perhaps only a half day, and I am on my third go round with this marvelous guide to self help. And don't be fooled by the title. Sure it has lots for writers and artists, but its main focus is helping us identify, understand and battle that little voice inside telling us we're not good enough, we don't have the time, we're going to fail, people will laugh at us, we don't have the resources, we're not smart enough ..... you can fill in the blanks yourself. I cannot recommend a book with higher praise for having helped me find a path around all the negative crap in my life I wasn't even aware I was creating for myself. In fact, I stressed out over even recommending this in my Daily Post. What if people won't like it? What if they unsubscribe? What if they think he must be my brother in law? He's not. What if they think I am a fool? But what if by reading it just one life changed for the better? What if just one person shed those pounds? What if one person got better sound out of their system? That'd be reward enough for sticking my neck out.

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