“Do resolutions go hand in hand with procrastination?”
Hmmm. I think the obvious answer is “No,” of course not. The reason they don’t go hand in hand is because they’re complete opposites. I was curious as to just how opposite these two words were. So, I looked them up on Dictionary.com and following are their definitions (the short, version).
Resolution: “the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, etc.”
Procrastination: “the act or habit of…putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention.”
Trying to mix these two would be like trying to mix oil and vinegar. This is why resolutions never worked for me. It’s not that the resolutions themselves never worked it’s that I never gave it a chance to work because of procrastination. That pesky word! It’s been a problem of mine for years. It’s one of those bad habits that if you don’t pay attention to it, it can linger around for years without ever being detected. Mind you, others can detect procrastination quickly in you, but we tend to not see it in ourselves. Maybe because we don’t want to?
I decided not to name my goals for the new year “resolutions” this year. For whatever reason the temptation to procrastinate on implementation of those resolutions in my life are too great for me to handle. I tend to cave into the temptations and before anything new can stick for good in my life I quit! There, I shared a very personal bad habit of mine. Don’t judge me.
So, instead of calling them resolutions I just call these desires for change what they really are, “things you better do or else!“ No, really, I call them “dreams,“ “the year of change,” or, okay really being honest here, “things God wants you to change now!” I write my list in my prayer journal and frankly, pray over them, all year. It takes more than just a couple of days or a month for lasting change to occur, at least that’s how it is in my life!
You may be wondering where I’m at with that pesky procrastination problem. Hmmm. PRAY FOR ME! Okay, I am better at it but, still have a ways to go. So, attention off of me and where it should be. What does the Bible say about resolutions? Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” This same verse in the Message Bible reads, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
******************************
Thanks for reading! I'd love to read your thoughts on this post in the comments below. What do you think about resolutions? Are you good at keeping them or do you even bother making New Year's Resolutions?
May God continue to bless you & yours!
Hmmm. I think the obvious answer is “No,” of course not. The reason they don’t go hand in hand is because they’re complete opposites. I was curious as to just how opposite these two words were. So, I looked them up on Dictionary.com and following are their definitions (the short, version).
Resolution: “the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, etc.”
Procrastination: “the act or habit of…putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention.”
Trying to mix these two would be like trying to mix oil and vinegar. This is why resolutions never worked for me. It’s not that the resolutions themselves never worked it’s that I never gave it a chance to work because of procrastination. That pesky word! It’s been a problem of mine for years. It’s one of those bad habits that if you don’t pay attention to it, it can linger around for years without ever being detected. Mind you, others can detect procrastination quickly in you, but we tend to not see it in ourselves. Maybe because we don’t want to?
I decided not to name my goals for the new year “resolutions” this year. For whatever reason the temptation to procrastinate on implementation of those resolutions in my life are too great for me to handle. I tend to cave into the temptations and before anything new can stick for good in my life I quit! There, I shared a very personal bad habit of mine. Don’t judge me.
So, instead of calling them resolutions I just call these desires for change what they really are, “things you better do or else!“ No, really, I call them “dreams,“ “the year of change,” or, okay really being honest here, “things God wants you to change now!” I write my list in my prayer journal and frankly, pray over them, all year. It takes more than just a couple of days or a month for lasting change to occur, at least that’s how it is in my life!
You may be wondering where I’m at with that pesky procrastination problem. Hmmm. PRAY FOR ME! Okay, I am better at it but, still have a ways to go. So, attention off of me and where it should be. What does the Bible say about resolutions? Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” This same verse in the Message Bible reads, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
******************************
Thanks for reading! I'd love to read your thoughts on this post in the comments below. What do you think about resolutions? Are you good at keeping them or do you even bother making New Year's Resolutions?
May God continue to bless you & yours!
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