Excuses

There's a lot I'd like to be doing right now. Not now now, but at this stage in my life now.  Exercise more, pray more, read my Bible more often, get more writing done, do more work on my magazines, get more work published, work more with our business, get my home office cleaned so I have room to actually DO a lot of this stuff....

But as much as I'd like to be doing right now, I have even more excuses for not doing it.  I'm busy.  The kids are loud.  I'm too tired.  I'm beset by constant interruptions.  There's no room.  It doesn't matter anyway.  I'll have more time, and more focus, when...

I even have excuses for my solutions.  I started getting up an hour earlier in order to put in a solid block of writing each day.  But, dangit, 3am is early.

But of course, each of these excuses boils down to a single, fundamental truth: I'm not really all that disciplined.  If you're familiar at all with me, or with this blog, you've probably noticed I tend to get easily distracted.

Of course, that's one of the reasons I started this blog -- as a way to both hold myself accountable for my goals and to give positive direction to my split attentions. 

And, of course, to help those who are in the same boat I am. 

So do I have a solution to my issues?  Some.  The fact is, while excuses are annoying, they are often valid.  There are, indeed, only 24 hours in a day, and I have to sleep during some of them.  During others I have to work.  I have responsibilities to my home and family.  These things are unchangeable.  What I can change, though, is what I do with the time I have available.  Am I reading to or playing with my kids, or playing Angry Birds?  Am I writing, or am I watching TV?  Am I spending time with God, or surfing the internet?

It's true that I don't have a lot of extra time available -- but I do have the choice about whether I use it wisely or continue to waste it.