No More Excuses

Last month I accomplished more than I have all year. Below are some of the highlights: 

1. Started a blog and published six-ish posts. You're reading the proof right now
2. Wrote the rough draft (50,000 + words) for my second my novel, and won NaNoWriMo
3. Completed ENG 240 and BIO103 with an A and B respectively
4. Wrote a 16 page casebook on Hamlet and Shakespeare
5. Conducted 11 labs for the aforementioned biology course. If you knew how much I hate labs, you'd realize how huge of a challenge this was for me.
6. Submitted to a short story contest (first time ever--super excited) for Writer's Digest magazine
7. Went to the gym 3-4 times a week and ate super clean 26 days of the month

Keep in mind, I have a full time job and I'm a father of three. Not to mention, my significant other lives on the other side the country. 

So, how did I get so much stuff done? 

Easy. 

I stopped making excuses and started producing results. In the past the following were commonly used to justify my procrastinations. 

• I don't have enough time--I'll just wait till the weekend when there's more time to do stuff 
• I'm too tired--I'll just lay down for a nap and go to the gym later
• Too much work--I'll just sacrifice a few hours to stay late and finish this project
• The kids need me--I'll just play with them for a few hours then get to that
• Fast food would be easier--I'll just stop by Wendy's instead of making something at home
• Family, bills, cleaning... yada yada yada

You get the point. 

So last month I took a different approach. Instead of doing less, I stacked my schedule so full, there was no room for failure. It was time to sink or swim. I expected the worst, imagining hours locked in my room living like a troll. I would have to make sacrifices. No free time. No fun stuff.

All I could picture was a zombie typing away at the keyboard.    


But it was quite the opposite.

To prove it, I've also made the following list which details all of the fun stuff I got to do last month:  

1. I took my kids to the coffee shop 2-3 nights a week and did homework with them while I wrote my novel
2. Went roller-skating with the kids three times during the month
3. Attended a military appreciation banquet with my lovely, ever-so-talented woman
4. Ate like a big, fat, hairy, smelly, oinking, pig  and drank like a stinky, slimy, floppy fish for four days out of the month
5. Hung out with some old friends on three different occasions 
6. Attended farewell party for a military buddy who moved overseas
7. Saw Thor The Dark World and Hunger Games Catching Fire--no, I didn't movie hop (but I thought about it...)
8. Took a four day vacation to beautiful Monterey, California 
9. Went paddle boating and helped my youngest daughter chase the geese  
10. Took several walks at the local park
11. Watched an emotion-filled sunset with my lover
12. Attended a birthday party and ate ungodly amounts of cheesecake 

As you can see, I still had plenty of free time and tons of fun. 

And you want to know the best part? Because I accomplished so many personal goals, the nagging in the back of my mind disappeared. No more reminders of my procrastinations. No more guilt over things I put off. I could finally let-loose and give my undivided attention to my friends and family. I could finally be in the moment. 

So what? Am I gloating? Is this post a shallow attempt to show-off? 

No. Not at all. 

The intention is to prove that you don't have to sacrifice your normal life to accomplish your dreams. As a matter of fact, when you take massive action, it allows you to truly cherish the time with your loved ones. It enhances everything around you. 

This post should serve as proof to everyone out there still making excuses. You don't have to be the "grumpy old troll who lives under the bridge" to achieve your goals. 

There's an abundance of time.

If you don't believe me, then I dare you to test it out. 

You don't have to go crazy like I did. Just pick one thing you've been meaning to do; one goal that you're super-passionate about and work toward it for the next month. If you're really ballsy, you could write it down in the comments section for the world to see. Don't allow any excuses to get in the way. Anticipate the inevitable. There will be emergencies, and sure you will have to buckle down and actually make an effort. But by the end of the month, you'll be able to look back and finally say, "I did" instead of "I wish".