Day 33: Walking the edge and crossing the line

On this blog, this week, I've posted a day late not once... but twice. Now I'm paying for it by struggling to write when I want nothing more than to sleep. (Yes, my mind is stale and worn-out. It's glaringly obvious, for which I apologize). I need to get back to my original commitment of writing every night, the night of.

The first time I put off writing was a few weeks ago. I experienced guilt and anxiety all night, into the next morning until I checked it off my list. The second time was last week. It took me 2 days to finally write, and my anxiety was a bit less severe. My third and fourth offense occurred this week, and they just kinda rolled off my shoulders. As I was making up for Saturday I began day-dreaming about possible weekend plans and found myself saying, "I wonder how many days it will take me to catch up on the nights I miss writing."

Wait a minute! That is not acceptable. I committed to write every night, and it's time to get back on that train. (Plus I don't want to spend 3 days straight trying to be creative). So here I am. Making up for Sunday and putting Monday off until Tuesday.

TODAY'S FOCUS: Interesting, how the subtle fudging of commitments and standards can move us from tolerance of the error, to acceptance, and eventually to the embracing of it.

If you know you're in error, make the conscious decision to pull back before momentum takes you any further. Do it while you can, for once you cross that "line," it's inevitable that you'll cross the next one, with greater speed and carelessness. When you hear yourself saying, "Well, I've already done 'x'... I might as well do..." don't. Just don't. ;) It's a thin, gray line, and once it's been crossed, returning to your "old-self" or "the-way-it-was" becomes a laborious and nearly impossible expedition. (Crossing the line isn't bad when applied to righteous risk, but it's important to be aware of the line, so when you DO cross it you're ready to deal with the consequences, good or bad.)

QUOTE: “Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity." -W. Clement Stone