Procrastination Vs the art of Dynamism

I live in a Country where most of the people tend to be late to anywhere. People always find excuses to be late:

There was a traffic jam.

I had problems with my family.

The breakfast was no ready.

I could not mind my clothes.

I run into a friend

etc

etc

Others may call you 5 or 10 minutes before to tell you a excuse of the reasons why they are being late :

I am around the corner (when they have just left the house )

In two minutes I will be there . ( there is a huge traffic jam )

I wonder why people do that, is not simpler to tell the truth and apologize?

or better never do this again.

I have never had any problems with people behaving like that. After all, they are the ones who are and will always be late to :

Work

School

Church

Meetings

Appointments

Dates

Parties

You name the event.

I am an English teacher and I always have to deal with people (Students) and schedules etc. Most of my students are always late and with no excuses or with weird excuses. They always get late to my classes and they seem not to worry about this issue. Is it a cultural situation? It seems nobody cares or they just do not pay attention.

Recently , I noticed that there is a special and interesting student in my class who always shows up half hour before the class starts, I have never said anything to her. One day I asked her about the reasons she is always before the other students and always punctual and why she always hands in her assignments way before the due date. She said something really interesting to me:

“I do not like to waste other people’s time. I usually put myself in other shoes. I do not want others to do the same thing to me and besides I thing that is a lack of respect to the other person.”

But on the other hand, it is not only my students but people around. People arrive late or put off things for the last minute: Paying the bills, paying the debts, submitting assignments etc.

I am a dynamic person, I try to be punctual and never leave things for the last minute. I consider myself a kind of endanger species. There are some things that I do in order to avoid procrastination. When I follow these tips I feel that I am a better person and I am happy:

Let’s say I have an appointment at 8 am in the morning.

So the day before I plan.

I say to myself : If I have to be there by 8am and I always have to be half hour before just in case something happens ( traffic jam, accidents etc ) then I think about how long the bus takes from my house to the place , let’s say one hour. Therefore, I have to leave home around 6:30 am at the latest.

But in order to leave home at 6:30 I have to think in all the things I have to do before leaving home such as : having breakfast, taking a shower , putting on my clothes etc. I know that I take one hour to do this. SO I set the alarm clock at………………5:30am .

If I wake up later than day. I am screwed, my day is screwed and everything goes wrong that day.

I am already late for my appointment.

I do this every time at every moment and It has worked for me. Being early to my appointments, school time, work time etc relaxes me and makes me feel prepared for the day and of course makes my day HAPPIER.

So folks, stop procrastinating and start “pro-activating” your life.

Planning is the key to success.

What about others ?

I am usually happy by nature. But my basic happiness is made out in the outside world. If everybody around me is happy I would be happy. Friends and Family members. If they are happy , that makes me happy. Therefore, one of my daily activities is to make sure people around me are happy.
I recently went on an English immersion course on a town near Bogota ( My home town in Colombia ) as a coordinator of the program. There were many students who at the beginning of the course were afraid and reluctant to speak and practice English. Throughout the course ans and days passed , students were feeling more comfortable. We did many things to practice the language: Games and activities that kept them busy while practicing. I noticed how students who were once reluctant to talk were now happier and doing better with their language abilities. At the end of the course, everybody was great, they learned a lot and THEY WERE HAPPY to have such a great learning experience. When everything finished , I said to myself, if they were happy...and I helped them to be happy somehow. I am happy.

In happy-ness I trust

Somebody talked to me today and said: " Money can buy your happiness ". I replied that for me...money is not my main goal...it is NOT my ultimate achievement. Money Can not buy the things i need to be happy...at least for me..I find happiness in people's eyes and smiles, when I see somebody smiling at me or at least saying something positive about something or somebody,,,this makes me happy...waking up everyday in the morning..knowing that I am alive and I am capable of doing anything I can...really makes me happy...I told this person...here...come let me show you a picture...of people that make me happy.....this person left the room...and never looked..back...I wonder...if that person is happy...I just wish....you ...me and everybody....happiness...somehow...Cheerio.

Who validates your life ?

Are you satisfied with everyone's criterion?
Does everybody validates you ?

Are you valid ?

I value you as a human person. Do you value yourself as a human ?

are you being treated with genuine respect as a legitimate expression of your feelings, rather than marginalized or dismissed?


Check this validation video and think upon.

Cheers

Facebook Feud

Facebook feud
I am back by popular demand
I recently took a break from my friend facebook. I had nice vacations from the family friend and now I have comeback relaxed and with new energy.
I noticed that I was having too much interaction with my friend and not being productive in my real/ private life. Six hours a day was too much. Too much snooping photos, profiles, posting messages and chatting. I barely went out of my house, just to do the shopping and stuff. I finally decided to give my friend some vacations and enjoy more the “real” life.
I am taking more time to read, listen to music and I already started a meditation session every day. At the beginning, it was hard to withdraw from the whole thing, the urge to use the internet and check profiles, pictures and status. But I already have more time and enjoying reading more than ever.
Now, I am back and more relaxed.I set up a schedule for my facebook / internet interactions. I highly recommend anybody to give a time to enjoy yourselves with your family and friends in real time / world. Go out and enjoy all the nice things to do.
If you really want to know more about me and what I do, you should follow my MY SPACE website.
http://www.myspace.com/yecido
In myspace , I still have updates of my photos and everything I do everyday…and what is best / worse..this is open to the public.
Cheers

Is Facebook your real friend ?

I decided to give my best friend facebook a break for a while. I recently got into arguments with somebody at work. This person asked me if I have a facebook account and then I said “yes, I have a facebook account” then the person asked me If I would friend her , then I said “sure”.

A couple of weeks passed and this person ask me again a little bit irritated and mad : “hey why haven’t you friend me on facebook?” and I say “ Oh sorry, I forgot” . Other couple of weeks passed and this person approached to me really mad and said “hey..if you don’t want to be my friend , you should have said it so….you do not think I am worthy to be your friend.. or your are too good for me…or is it that you have secrets…you know… embarrassing photos.” I was very annoyed / surprised of such remarks, and I replied “Listen Jamie, You are nice, you are a great person..and yes I am your friend but the fact that I do not friend you on facebook does not make you less my real friend..or I do not like you as a human being, it is I just do not share all my personal information with every single person who wants to friend me on facebook.”

I apologize and she left with a grin on her face. She still talks to me, but not as before.

I wonder why people act like this. You are going to be my friend for ever…even if I do not friend you on facebook .We can still hang out. I wish people would take more time to actually hang out, go out and talk to friends in a real life time. Going to movies, bowling, take a walk through the lakeshore, take a beer, talk B.S about or neighbors, watch tv and play some soccer. STOP THE POKE..THE QUIZZ, THE I LIKE BUTTON, THE…PLEDGE TO SAVE THE ANIMALS CAUSE…why do not we do this in real life…poke your friends at school with your finger…in the eye…belly, arm…and say how much you like him /her….quizz your real friends about the things they like to do and do this together, tell people that you like them all the time…nice hair…nice clothes…looking good today etc. Save a stray cat or dog…donate some money to local causes or better help out a friend in need.

I wish those days in which we used to write letter to friend and actually take the time to take a piece of paper and send complements and regards to friends and family, but do not get me wrong I do not disagree at all with this facebook frenzy/ crazy fashion/ trend. I believe this is a good tool to keep in touch with “real” friends and family who live very far or abroad and probably this is the only mean to get in touch with your grand ma and see pictures of her 99 year d-day party.

Bottom line, stop facebooking around wasting your time snooping photos and profiles, stalking your ex or that girl / boy you like at school / work…get a life …go out and see that there are real people out there to SUPER POKE and join the mafia of friends in the neighborhood and do some good…smile for real at people…in the train, bus in the street……and YES…I STILL USE FACE BOOK to stalk you and check your silly pictures…and you can see mine.

The limits of control

Happiness is when you have the chance to do all the things you want to do with no restrictions, no limits and no barriers.
Watching movies (the limits of control ) on a Saturday morning, making pancakes and eggs, getting some coffee and read the paper in the morning.
Creating pieces of sounds, making new bends for the toys, chatting with friends about life and other issues,going for a walk and getting to see how the people walk by and thinking about what they may think about life.All of these made me happy this week.

"La vida no vale nada!!! El que se tenga por grande que se vaya al cementerio, solo asi sabran lo que la vida es realmente."
"Life is worthless!!!!All those who think they are better should go to the cemetery, only there they will know how life really is."

The limits of control

New York..New Year,,,New Life..

How happy…in New York
I recently spent 2 week vacations in New York to celebrate the end of the year. These are the moments and reasons that made me happy:

I got to see my very good friends from Ecuador and USA. Spend the time together as if we were a family. In these moments of cold and loneliness there is nothing better than being together with the people you love and like being around. I personally do not celebrate Christmas, but sharing wonderful moments with the person you love and your friends, definitely makes me happy.

I loved New York. The cosmopolitan city with different people from different countries, cultures, religions and races. Restaurants with delicious food. Especially Fluffy’s café at the corner of 55^th st and 7^th avenue. I liked the muffins and the delicious coffee on a cold afternoon. The Dominican neighborhood in upper Manhattan is good for a cheap traditional breakfast.

The wonderful museums full of master pieces of my favorite artists : Cézanne , Monet, Van Gogh and overall Pollock. My favorite museum was the Guggenheim and the exhibition about Kandinsky, my favorite abstract artist. This artist made feel I am able to do whatever I want and keep going with my artwork. Check : Solace for human soul for future abstract releases.

Ice skating at Bryant park . I never thought I was that good at skating . Me and my wife were doing pretty good together. The skates sucked though.

Walking down the streets to discover new places is one of my favorite things to do. I never get tired or cold. I keep going and going and going…get some coffee and keep going until I found my favorite store….LA RATA BASTARDA AMARILLA…hehehehe,,,,Yellow Rat Bastard at the corner of Broom st and Broadway Yellow Rat Bastard . This place is good for clothes and accessories for weird and different people.

Last bast not least, MTA…yes …the NY metro is good….but DIRTY….ewe……I love that it is 24 hours…it takes you in minutes anywhere in NYC..I love the urban sounds and of course the train is one of my favorites.

Chinatown…to buy fake LV.. C… D&G..etc…hehehe, the empire state building…so high,,.,so cold. Central park to walk and leave your thoughts fly. Brooklyn only one night there…I regret not having more time to discover more about it..someday..some day.

Good times in new years night at central park…brbrbrbrbrb cold…but here we are receiving a new year…hopefully full of wonderful things…and over all Happiness.