So I’m learning about soccer from my son. We are currently in France (which is beautiful) but I’m experiencing some cognitive fatigue from hearing French and trying to translate it into English in my head.  I feel like a second grader in a room full of adults.  I’m learning about a whole new country’s history, culture and language (all of which I love) but it is a lot to take in all at once. 

I don’t know much about sports.  But I do know that in France soccer is football but in America, football is an entirely different sport.  It’s an interesting psychological experiment where you hear a word and it conjures up a completely different image in your head from what everyone else around you is thinking.  

So imagine my surprise when my son comes to me and says what sounds like:

“Holland scored.” 

I’m imagining the Netherlands.  I reply, “I thought they’re out of the World Cup.”  He gives me a confused look and said, “He’s in the World Cup.  They are going to the quarterfinals.” 

“You mean the Netherlands is in the World Cup now?”

“No, Holland is in Norway.”

“What?”  How can Holland which is the Netherlands be in Norway?

It suddenly feels like I’m on a comedy sketch like Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First?” 

“Holland is playing for Norway.”      

He then realizes why I’m confused and explains he meant the Norwegian soccer player, Erling Haaland.  So I look him up and I see this in my google search:

I was so confused by the NO.  Why did he say it wasn’t worth the 28 year wait?  So I kept digging and found the original photo which I posted at the top. And I realized he posted the emoji of the Norway flag and for some reason, the 2 letter abbreviation for Norway appeared instead of the flag: NO.  The confusion finally cleared.  Mystery solved! It’s a great example of the importance of research.

I’ve been putting off writing this blog post because well, I’ve been overthinking this.

So I opened up my laptop and started this blog post before all the doubts started to invade my thoughts. In the past, I could easily come up with a million reasons why I shouldn’t do something. I’ve let a lot of negative thoughts stop me from taking the steps needed to achieve a goal. The thing I keep telling myself these days is the famous “Just Do It.” It’s simple and effective because taking swift action often stops doubt before it can begin to grow. Doubt is like mold. It can spread and take over. The key to removing it is sunshine and fresh air – a new perspective.

I’ve also fallen down the research rabbit hole of doom where hours have gone by and I was no closer to writing the paper I was supposed to write. Instead of letting myself feel overwhelmed by many different ideas, my new habit has been to focus my attention on one small step forward. Write one clear sentence and then focus on writing the next one.

Setting those small achievable goals has really helped me. It takes a large task and makes it feel manageable. I feel more confident after writing one short sentence. I see progress and that makes me happier.

And I decided to let that be the content of today’s post.

Have you overthought something so much that it stopped you from taking action? I’d love to hear what helped you overcome it. Thanks for reading!

Hello Friends!

I recently started a YouTube channel called ProcrastinationPups in order to show my students what a social media campaign can look like. The final project for one of the courses I teach is a social media campaign focused on something they care deeply about. I love teaching and I love my students, so I wanted to not just assign them work but join them and create a campaign of my own.

My goal is to raise awareness about procrastination because it’s something I’ve struggled with in the past and felt it really held me back. When I was a college student I even bought a book called “Overcoming Procrastination!” (Such a hopeful title!) And I procrastinated on reading it. I never even opened the book.

In my twenties, I had big dreams but procrastinated on taking even those tiny steps which would have gotten me just a little bit closer to my goals. The guilt and shame that followed was so demoralizing that I stopped believing I could achieve anything at all. I felt so hopeless and lost. I gave up before I even started. It took a long time and a lot of work to move past those failures and to keep following my dreams.

That’s why I created this channel and website. (Well, I finally achieved one of my goals which is to be a content creator. I’m checking that off my list!) My hope is to encourage anyone who struggles with procrastination and to encourage you to keep striving and dreaming. Don’t give up on your dreams! I’m not giving up on mine.

Please join me on my journey as I try to achieve my dreams of becoming a published author one day, travel the world and also stick to something meaningful.

Since no one is asking me to do this, I do find it challenging to keep up with a pet project. But this is important to me because I want to keep a promise I made to myself. You can do this! Thank you so much for reading this and joining me on my journey. I also promised myself to not procrastinate on enjoying this wild trip we call life. I hope I can encourage and inspire you too!

I only have a limited amount of time each day to work on my dream goal of writing a novel.  I’ve written two books, spending one to two hours everyday writing but I haven’t been published yet.  Now I’m working on a third book. 

With two young children, an elderly mother and in-laws and a full time job working as a university professor, I have to be laser focused with the little free time I have.  Sometimes tasks like the dishes, housecleaning, and laundry take the backseat so I can work on my book. Then I try to play catch up on the weekend.  It isn’t pretty but it’s the best I can do. 

I don’t want to give up on my dream. I hope this encourages you also to not give up on your dream.

There are a lot of distractions out there but the journey is rewarding and is worth the effort.

Many of my students are in a similar situation trying to squeeze in their school work while they juggle full-time jobs with taking care of children and their other responsibilities. I tell them they are on a hero’s journey and are going to encounter obstacles along the way before they finish their bachelor’s degree. Just as we all do when we have a dream.

My students inspire me. I admire their strength and perseverance to keep going and I hope this message inspires you also. I’m learning to take a big dream and break it up into small achievable goals that I can tackle each day. I don’t have to do everything at once. I’m not aiming for perfection. I simply need to take one small step forward.