How do I stop procrastinating and take action on my dreams?

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Answered by 

Kesav

 

Feb 24

How do I stop procrastinating and take action on my dreams?

We all have dreams, right? But sometimes, it feels like the hardest thing is just taking that first step. It’s easy to let procrastination keep you stuck, and I get it. But here’s the thing—procrastination is a habit, like a bad routine that starts small and grows bigger over time.

Look at Madonna’s Journey

Take Madonna, for example. She didn’t have the easiest start. She faced abuse, doubt, and rejection. But she didn’t let that stop her. Instead of letting her feelings of self-pity take over, she chose to take action. She decided to push herself to be the best, to not settle for being ordinary.

She worked her ass off to improve her singing, and over time, she became one of the greatest pop icons. Her dream didn’t just happen—it was built with sweat, determination, and by breaking the habits that were holding her back.

Procrastination is Like Pinocchio

Procrastination is a lot like Pinocchio. You do a little here, a little there, and soon enough, your bad habits are set. Your brain starts to wire itself to avoid taking action, and before you know it, you’re stuck in a loop of laziness.

It’s hard to break, but not impossible. The key is to realize that no one needs more attention than your mental health. You’ve got to protect your mind from negative influences, including those people who feed your self-doubt. When you focus on breaking bad habits, you start changing the game.

The Power of Consistency

Be the lion spirit. Be the Mufhasa of courage. Tell yourself, I have information to write the perfect schedule and carry it with the elite class execution to that of Ronaldo or Messi or the Juggernaut.

Let’s talk about Narnia for a second. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the kids weren’t just regular children—they became kings and queens. How? By understanding their strength and using it wisely.

They didn’t wait for things to change. They acted. They grew in strength, wisdom, and resilience, and they brought peace to their world. Like those kids, when you act on your dreams, you sharpen your mental abilities and become the person who can change your own world.

Your Dreams Aren’t Just for Youth

Dreams aren’t just for the young. If you play your cards right with grit and grace, you can achieve them at any age. It’s about resilience, motivation, and adaptability. Your actions today will help create the foundation for your future. Every small step you take now leads to progress. The more you work through the procrastination and break those habits, the closer you get to your dreams.

So, if you want to stop procrastinating and start taking action, remember: it’s all about taking that first step. Build the habit of consistency. Overcome self-doubt. Break the bad habits. And most importantly, keep your focus on the dream, not the distractions. The time is now. Your future self will thank you for it.

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Kesav Charan – Medium

Read writing from Kesav Charan on Medium. Engineer, Lawyer and Author II Understand this: the brilliance of writing shifts and dances, shaped by the ever-changing lens of the reader’s perception.

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“Daddy! Mom’s back!”

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Posted by 

Mildred F. Felix

 

18h

Imagine burying someone you love, only to see them alive again. That’s what happened on our beach vacation when my son spotted his "dead" mother. The truth I uncovered was more devastating than her supposed death.

At 34, I never expected to be a widower raising a 5-year-old. Two months ago, I kissed my wife, Stacey, goodbye, never imagining it would be the last time. Then came the phone call that shattered my life.

I was in Seattle closing a deal when Stacey’s father called. “Abraham, there’s been an accident. Stacey... she’s gone.”

I couldn’t believe it. I had spoken to her the night before. “A drunk driver,” he explained. I don’t remember much after that—just a blur of grief, the funeral arranged without me, and no chance to say goodbye.

I tried to console our son, Luke. He kept asking when Mommy would come home. How do you explain to a 5-year-old that his mother is never coming back?

Two months passed, and our home felt like a hollow shell of what it once was. I decided we needed a change and took Luke to the beach for a vacation. For a few days, it felt like things were getting better. Then, on the third day, Luke ran to me, shouting, “Daddy! Mom’s back!”

I froze. Looking up, I saw her. Stacey—alive. My heart raced, but she quickly disappeared into the crowd with another man. I was left in shock, questioning everything I thought I knew.

When I confronted her later, she admitted the truth: Stacey had faked her death to run away with her lover. Her parents had helped her stage it, thinking it would be easier for everyone to move on. My world shattered all over again, and I was left to pick up the pieces, protecting my son from the betrayal and lies.

In the end, I moved us to a new city and fought for full custody of Luke. We’re healing, but some wounds take longer to mend. I’ve learned that as long as we have each other, we can get through anything.

Credit to respective owner 

Love teaches us to love

The Galactic Void

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Posted by 

Sabina Voleckova

 

Feb 20

When my grandmother passed away, my grandfather was left alone in his house. Every time I visited him, he was by himself and didn’t want anyone to move in with him. So, I came up with the idea of giving him a small dog that I had rescued from the street.

When he got the dog, he named it 'Chirulin.' They do everything together: sunbathe, eat, go for walks, watch TV, and more. A few days ago, my grandfather got sick, and during his hospital stay, he wrote me a letter with instructions on how to take care of 'Chirulin' in case he didn’t make it. He even wrote me the recipe for the soup he makes for 'Chirulin.' And all I could think of was asking him to also write me the recipe for living without him.

He asked the whole family to look after 'Chirulin.' Yesterday, he was discharged from the hospital, and of course, we brought 'Chirulin' to him. He hugged the dog and whispered, "We need to hurry and do all those things we still want to do together. There’s not much time." Then he started laughing... Yes, my grandfather made a list of things he wants to do with 'Chirulin,' his loyal friend. When you see how 'Chirulin' looks at him, you can feel the love between them.

And for those who say it’s just a dog, I say: "Animals are a gift for the soul, a way to learn tolerance, respect, and love. True love, the kind that doesn’t divide, but unites. Love teaches us to love."

Guendalina Middei

Fully Trained

March 2, 2025 Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Readings for Today

Jesus tells the Parable of the Barren Tree by Lawrence OP, license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Video Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:39–40 Are you “fully trained?” What does it mean to be fully trained? Jesus makes it clear that those who are fully trained will be like their teacher. Of course, we must become like our Lord, who is the one and only Teacher. So are you like Him in every way? Being fully trained as a Christian is different than being fully trained in an occupation. For example, a doctor is fully trained when all the necessary lessons are learned and the practical aspects of medicine are put into practice. That is why that person becomes a doctor, just like the doctors who were their teachers. But the Christian life is not something we master by learning many teachings of the faith so that, by our expertise, we can then put them into practice using our natural talents. For a Christian to be fully trained, it is necessary that the Divine Physician fully possess them, live within them, and act through them. Thus, Christian training is the practice of allowing God to become one with you so that it is God Who acts in and through you. This form of “training” first takes on the goal of freeing us from spiritual blindness. We must see Christ and come to know Him. Again, this is not a matter of simply learning various truths about God in an intellectual way. It’s a matter of coming to know the Truth Himself. We must see and know the Person Who is Christ Jesus. This is true sight. Blindness, however, can always set in again when we take the eyes of our soul off the Savior. Seeing Christ, however, is not enough. Seeing must be followed by doing. That is why our Lord goes on to say in today’s Gospel that “every tree is known by its own fruit” and that a “good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good.” Seeing Christ Himself, within your soul, will produce that “store of goodness,” and this will make you more “fully trained.” Only then can you produce good fruit, for it will be Christ Himself producing the good fruit in and through you. So back to our original question: “Are you fully trained?” Do you daily keep your eyes on a Person, Jesus Himself? And if so, do You allow Him to act in your life and, through you, in the lives of others? If you cannot answer these questions with a confident “Yes,” then you might have more blindness in the spiritual life than you realize. Reflect, today, upon your mission to become a fully trained soldier of Christ. God wants to use you, to live within you, and to act through you. He wants you to be like Him in every way. This is only possible when you admit the blindness with which you struggle, turn your eyes to Him, and allow Him to become one with you. Start by turning to Him as He dwells within you. Search for Him, seek Him, and love Him. If you keep your eyes upon Him, He will carefully take care of the rest, leading you to a fully trained and fruitful life. My divine Teacher, I turn to You, the Lord of all, and seek to fix my gaze upon You. As I see You, please remove my blindness and confusion. In place of these, give me wisdom so that I will always allow You to live in me and act through me, bearing an abundance of good fruit. Jesus, I trust in You.

What are the unique characteristics of Dutch society?

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Answered by 

Anna Sebastian

 Wed

What are the unique characteristics of Dutch society?

1. Very friendly. I love the scene in Spider-Man: Far from Home where Peter Parker lands in the Netherlands. He asks a man to lend him his phone and gets it right away. In the phone call, Peter says that the Dutch people are really nice.
2. Be blunt. We call it ' bespreekbaar ' which means you have to be able to speak up . Not because we like to hurt other people's feelings, but because we don't want you to get hurt later.
3. English speakers. Yes, we are famous for our good English skills. Wherever you go, you can communicate in English. Which is basically everywhere in the country. Children start learning English at around 10 years old.
4. We are considered stingy. In fact, we just like to bargain and don't like to buy cheap things that we don't really need. We are just being rational.
5. Get organized. Going to visit friends? Better make sure you have an appointment because our schedule is tight. We don't have much free time so everything has to be scheduled.
6. Good infrastructure. Good roads, and good street lighting. You won't find many places in the Netherlands where it's difficult to drive. Not to mention the bike paths everywhere. So it's very easy to explore the country by bike.
7. Bad food. Uhm, yeah, this is a bit embarrassing. But Dutch food is not known for being delicious.

Addition:

• Trade. We all know the VOC. Throughout history, our region has always depended on trade. In fact, today our economy is heavily dependent on exports. The Port of Rotterdam was the busiest port in the world from 1964 to 2004.

• Say cheese ! Who doesn't like cheese? We really do! And the Netherlands is quite famous for its cheese because our cheese is very delicious.

• Meises. This food often makes people wonder: "why is there no such thing in my country?" after they try it. Meises is very popular among children.

(translator's note: fortunately Indonesia has it, thanks to the colonizers ^^)

• Irrigation engineers. We are very good at water and engineering. We have to be like that. Because if we don't, we will drown. Probably the most famous is ' afsluitduik '.

• Beer boxes . Maybe not something that is really Dutch. But we Dutch usually buy beer in boxes. You won't find many households that don't have a box of this golden liquid. Some people build castles, and other things, with these boxes.

'biertje?' , the Dutch term for "Would you like a beer?"

Dependence Upon God

March 1, 2025 Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today

Charles Lock Eastlake, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Video People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:13–14 Simplicity, trust, purity of intent, transparency, and resiliency are all qualities that children often have by nature. They are not yet capable of evil intent. They are quick to forgive and reconcile when conflicts arise. And they have an unwavering confidence in the care of their parents. These are among the qualities that we need to imitate in our relationship with God. It seems that as we age and as our human reason develops, we can lose some of the important qualities we had as children. But when it comes to our relationships with our loving God, we must never lose the important childlike qualities that lead us to be completely trusting and dependent upon God’s providence and care. Children are also weak in the sense that they are not able to care for themselves. They rely completely upon the care of others, especially parents. For that reason, a child is an ideal image of how we must approach God. We must see our weakness and dependence. We must know, with deep conviction, that we are incapable of caring for ourselves. And though we may achieve a certain independence as we age, being able to provide for ourselves materially, we will never be able to provide for the interior spiritual needs we have. For our spiritual needs, we remain completely dependent upon the mercy of God. We must never forget that, at our core, we are spiritual beings who long for true spiritual satisfaction. Material or fleshly satisfactions that we can obtain by ourselves will never suffice to fulfill us at the deepest level of who we are. God and God alone is capable of this form of fulfillment. Think about your own approach to life. Do you seek to find fulfillment and satisfaction in life through your own efforts? Have you attempted to take complete control of your present and future happiness? Though it is essential that we act responsibly in life, it must be understood that the most responsible way we can act is by willfully turning over complete control of our lives to God’s providence and care. As a child depends upon a parent, so we must depend upon the grace of God. Reflect, today, upon a child. Ponder, especially, how a child is dependent upon others. As you do, see yourself similarly as one who must become completely dependent upon God for all that is important in life and for all that ultimately fulfills who you are. Trust in God’s providence and mercy, and allow that childlike trust to place you firmly in the arms of your Father in Heaven. Loving Father, I turn to You in complete trust as a small child turns to a loving parent. May I never become so self-sufficient that I fool myself into thinking I am capable of finding my own fulfillment in life. Instead, may I always see You as the one and only source of true fulfillment and always trust in You alone. Jesus, I trust in You.