Are You the Type of Person Who Needs a List?

I recently decided that I am a person who will never accomplish anything beyond the absolutely necessary tasks of daily living unless it is on a list--preferably a list with a deadline.

Not long ago, I entered a contest to write 100 articles in 100 days. I managed to do it but only because I had signed my name on the dotted line to do it and because there was a deadline for getting the job done.

After the contest, for which I won a beautiful wall clock and a great coffee mug with "ezine articles" emblazoned across it, I decided not to go back to just doing the bare minimum to survive and see what would happen. I did feel proud of myself for writing all those articles, so I set myself a goal for the next week of submitting three articles to offline magazines, taking my two granddaughters shopping for school shoes, and using the grass whip to trim the weeds around the edge of our front yard. Not much for an average person you are probably thinking, but take my word---it was for me.

It is now Thursday morning and only one article has been submitted and the shoes for my granddaughters are taken care of, but there is something about having a list, and having a deadline of some kind that makes me think I am going to do what I set out to do.

Maybe, if I finish my list for this week, I can add an extra item or two to my list for next week.

I Want To Lose Weight and Gain Strength--What is it You've Been Putting Off?

These days, who isn't interested in:

Tips for saving money and living within our incomes,
Learning how to raise independent, loving, and considerate children,
Finding fulfilling, affordable, and enjoyable hobbies,
Keeping up with politics---(as if that were possible,)
And staying fit through diet and exercise.

Or maybe, like me, you have at one time been interested in all of those things and have given up on some of them, especially the last one, staying fit through diet and exercise. Maybe, also like me, you have started to use the excuse of being too old to start an exercise program.

Just the other day though, I read an article about an 84-year old Chinese lady who rode her bicycle 150 miles to raise money for victims of Multiple Sclerosis. And, to make an impossible task seem even more impossible, she did it wearing her church clothing, a dress and pumps instead of the blue jeans and tennis shoes you might expect.

Believe me, I am a champion when it comes to making excuses. I had recently ordered a CD called, Fat-Burning Furnace, which had exercises to do at home. I was really enthused with it--for about a day, before I decided I didn't have the right weights the demonstrator suggested, the exercises hurt my legs, and I was just too old to start a new exercise program anyway.

But, after I saw the article about the Chinese lady's bicycle ride, I decided that a can of soup would be about the right weight for me to use when doing my exercises, and that if I used some common sense by not trying to do as many sets of each exercise as the man on the tape, maybe, just maybe, I could make some progress and not end up being so sore.

Anyhow, I have decided to stop using my age and my out-of-shape condition as an excuse and work at getting to my goal just like the Chinese Lady riding her bike did. How about you?

Are you ready to:

Learn to draw and paint?
Become a writer?
Learn to play a musical instrument?
Get a driver’s license?
Start a business?
Volunteer in your community?
Or, like me, try to get in shape?

I say, let's get rid of all our excuses and get started working toward our new goals today.


*If you want to join me in using the, Fat Burning Furnace, tape, or are just curious about it, click here to see the free video. Fat Burning Furnace Video
The video itself is worth checking out even if you don't intend to order the program--which by the way is very reasonable and could be used by a group if you want to get some friends to join you.