Learn by Doing

I realize I quote WALKING ON ALLIGATORS very frequently; however, it continues to speak to me on so many levels. The following quote from Sophocles sparked very pertinent words by Susan Shaughnessy.

"One learns by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try."

Ms. Shaughnessy follows these words with a discussion about how action teaches. "Steady writing, writing every day, proves whether or not you can do what you want to do." She goes on further to say something that was a major a-ha moment for me.

"Delay is the trap that few writers wriggle through. But some do. Will you be one of them?"

Wow...here I thought I was the queen of procrastination but, sooner or later, I would get around to accomplishing what I set out to do. But, you know what? I haven't! I spend so much time thinking about doing it, organizing myself and my life so as to make time to do it, but I never wriggle through that delay. There is never any more time to actually DO IT (unless I want to rise far earlier than I already do, that is).

I've come to realize just how there will always be something getting in my way. Planning and organizing for an upcoming vacation, work obligations, kid activities, a great book I can't put down, etc. The list goes on and on. It took a light bulb going off in my head thinking about how quickly summer will arrive (despite the current frigid sub-zero temps), and kids will be out of school for that set of excuses to start clouding my day. My time is now. I'm going to take it and run. If you have some great ideas of time management and taking the bull by the horns to just do it, I'd love to hear them.