Lack of self-discipline?!

by Clayton
2 comments

A few weeks ago my colleagues went out of town for a trip that (is supposed to) take(s) place annually. I was also about to go, but cancelled a few days before the trip due to various reasons. Someone then told me that I am always that guy was about to do something, but eventually doesn’t. Of course I refused to accept that fact until I said something in another conversation yesterday. A colleague asked if we have ever been to the opera. And I said: “I was about to go the last time I was in Holland, but that meeting did not go through”. As soon as I spoke out those words I realized that the first colleague was right.

I have so many unfinished plans, unread books and
I am probably the definition of the Dutch saying:
“Twaalf ambachten dertien ongelukken”.
Literal translation: twelve crafts, thirteen accidents

I don’t know if there is a similar saying in English. And if there is, someone please let me know. But the saying basically means that you constantly make news plans and they all fail.

New let’s recap a few of my recent failed plans:

  • My Epic(s) Euro-trip;
    the plans in may when I was going to fly to Hungary and drive with a friend to Austria to see Epica perform two days in a row
  • This non-date with a Dutchie to go to the opera for the very first time didn’t go through due to some bad scheduling
  • The novel I started writing in 2009 doesn’t have a real story line yet
  • The java self-training I started I never finished
  • I played the keyboard for a year (maybe longer) and stopped
  • My gym subscription has been renewed for over a year

I could go on and on about my failed attempts in live.

My main excuse for not finished the above is “lack of time”.
Now I am starting to wonder. Do I really lack time or simple lack self-discipline?

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2 comments

Rachel July 19, 2012 - 4:11 PM

Great blog! Clayton, i think it is the lack of discipline as opposed to time, specially nowdays that we do waste so much time on fb/interent etc. but 1st step of fixing something is acceptance, and that is good, sometimes we can be in denial of what we do wrong, yet the best thing is to realize it. but now that you know this the question is, what steps are you going to take to change it, remember baby steps, start with something simple and then build up from there. so far can’t remember of a saying in english but in California, an expression used is… “half-assed” hehehe

Clayton July 20, 2012 - 10:16 PM

I think what I should do is make a list of things I want to accomplish in a day and stick to it. I have tried it, but never for long. I think my main issue is that my time management really sucks. I think I really, really, really need to work on that if I want to accomplish anything.

Thanks for your comment 🙂

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