Being a Grown Up is Hard.

Life long habits are hard to overcome. I’ve never had to exercise a whole lot of discipline because what I wanted and needed to do always came so easily. As a kid, school was so natural. I did my homework in front of the TV. My parents didn’t demand a whole lot in terms of chores, so I never learned how to plan out my schedule. Further, I had a bunch of free time because I didn’t have many responsibilities. I never had to prioritize. These things have made my adult life one great challenge.

For a long time, I longed for the freedom of my childhood. I kept wishing to catch up on one last mountain of chores. Foolishly, I thought, that getting past the bump, would take me to that easy feeling again. However, whether I tamed that mountain of responsibilities or not, it wasn’t long before another burden came my way. Now, I’ve finally realized that I need to figure out how to prioritize all those things that come my way. Some, I’ll need to take care of immediately. Others will need to be added in after more pressing matters. There will be other things which will need to be ignored.

It’s hard to ignore those other things, though. Usually, those other things are interesting. Finding time to do those interesting things, while still meeting the demands of those things that must be done, will be the toughest part. Well, I can’t give them up entirely! These are things like hobbies, or things that help me grow as a person. However, I must meet the most important demands of my work and my personal relationships. I need to work, because I have bills. I need to maintain relationships, because it’s a need we all have. I also long to spend time with myself: to read, to learn, and to push my body.

I guess, reluctantly, the thing I must give up is TV. I’ve spent so much of my life in front of the tube, that it’s second nature. It’s easy to go to when I’m tired. But, I need to push myself sometimes. Instead of TV, I might need to do laundry, or pack my lunch, or clean out my car.

The first step is to realize you have a problem, they say. Now, the hard part, figuring out a strategy to get past the problem…