Even as I write this title, I know it is not quite right.
I did not procrastinate away my time in 2021. I survived working within the frontline of the greatest pandemic we have seen in our lifetime.
But, yet, there is something that rings true. That voice in my head reminding me of all of the things I didn’t do. Now, in truth, I can give myself the grace to accept why there are so many unfinished tasks left from the last year. And, I can extend that grace to anyone reading this too. It is ok. We are not alone.
Yet, as those thoughts of unfinished work edge in on my consciousness, there is one truth that I have to acknowledge and accept. There are some projects and goals that remain unmet and existed for some time prior to the onslaught of 2021.
For me, one of those unfinished projects is a book proposal. Or two.
Drafted, post-it notes of chapter content decorate the window by my desk. A proposal nearly done, yet somehow moving those post-its into written form has been daunting as trying to rearrange the tectonic plates myself.
So, in support of procrastination, I have not been writing, but have been reading. “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert (Amazon affiliate link below), really hit home. Writing does not need to be perfect. It does not matter what the critics say, or if a critic ever sees it. But, to have a love affair with the creative process, to seek out that time with vigor and passion, to pursue that which you love doing, is always worth it.
That time means that blog posts will not be perfect or thematic. But writing them is of more value than pushing them off and procrastinating.
How am I pushing past this stage of purgatorial procrastination? One way or another, I am going to write every day. Sometimes, it will be a blog post. Sometimes, it will be in my journal. Sometimes, it will be on that proposal, transitioning those post-it notes into the passion project it has always been, but perfectionism and fear have stymied efforts on.
Will this effort be perfect? No. Not even close.
But I do believe that passion and perseverance can overcome procrastination, as long as perfectionism is no longer embraced (yes, I realize how hard that is, but we all can do hard things).
With this in mind, I hope to share some of this journey with you, with the end goal of finishing that proposal and sending it out. My goal cannot be an accepted proposal, but simply finishing it. That is enough.
