English proverbs often remind me of a lecture you might get from stern parents, and the rebellious child inside me likes to disagree. This week, though, I can't help but agree with the proverb. I am living proof that it is true — the perfect lab rat for scientists to study if they were doing a study of this proverb.
I'm sure you've heard people say, "I'll go to Italy and visit all the museums one of these days." Or "I'll start studying English one of these days when my work is less hectic." Or "I'll go and see an opera one of these days when I've saved up enough money for a ticket." Do you see the common thread here?
The harsh reality of life is that unless you commit to a plan and have the courage to execute it, it's very unlikely that it will ever come to pass.
What this week's proverb is trying to tell us is: Now or never! Do whatever it is you want to do and do it now.
Now this does hit a nerve. I've made countless plans to join a gym, to visit my friends in the States, travel the world, write a novel, etc. But guess what? That horrifying monster called Procrastination has reared its ugly head. If only I didn't procrastinate, I would be Fit Woman of the Year, I would have visited 48 countries and my second novel translated into 64 languages.
It really is quite amazing what procrastination can do. The beast is very versatile. At first I thought it was just about putting off things that you didn't want to do, but actually it's also about putting off things that you want to do, like, as I said, traveling, visiting friends and particularly writing.
I love writing. But sometimes I get stuck in a rut, just dreaming of what amazing things I could write and not actually writing anything. "One of these days I'll write this," I'd think, or "One of these days I'll write that." That may seem all right, but I find those dreams can also be a hindrance. The "one of these days" can become an obstaclein itself.
This is partly due to fear of failure and also partly due to an unwillingness to acknowledge the time and energy, and practice and sheer amount of bad writing required before you can produce something half-decent. It's just easier to spend the time thinking about "one of these days."
The key, I suppose, is to break down what you want to do into smaller and more doablechunks. It's easier to take your first step that way, and you'll feel inspired after achieving each small task. This way, hopefully, your "one of these days" will not become "none of these days."
Q1 Kana says that "procrastination" puts you off from not just things you don't want to do, but also:
A1) Things you were told to do.
A2) Things you want to do.
A3) Things that are unrealistic.
正解： A2) Things you want to do.
Q2 What does Kana suggest as the key to getting around what this proverb says?
A1) To try and do everything at once.
A2) To break down what you want to do into smaller tasks.
A3) To wait till you really want to do something.
正解： A2) To break down what you want to do into smaller tasks.
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