"In the time you spent complaining about this, Susan, you could've had it done."

Did anyone else's mother used to say that?

She also might've added that if I'd just gone ahead and done it, I would:

1. Feel good about myself, with a sense of accomplishment

2. Free the energy of feeling like a slacker, feeling guilty, and having the task hanging over my head

3. Have her goodwill and respect instead of her rancor

We both knew it was my chore to do the dishes.

How many "inevitable" tasks like that do you have on your list? The sales call will have to be made, the realtor must be fired, the relationship must be ended, the oven thermostat must be fixed.

The Equalizer is a t.v. show, "dirty deeds done dirt quick" is a song, and 'deus ex machina' went out with Greek and Roman tragedies.

When you procrastinate, you lose. You lose time, energy, self-esteem, goodwill, trust, and timely solutions.

Because my mom held firm, I learned that it was best to go ahead and get it over with. Of course you do that a few times and the relief you get will be its own motivation. Instead of that "little" nagging feeling that saps your energy more than you know, you're free to fly!

If someone keeps coming along behind you (or if you're doing this for your child, or report, or partner), the lesson will not be learned. You'll be reinforcing the whining and procrastinating.

Is writing that report that much worse than draining your energy, sabotaging your self-esteem, annoying the people around you, and making the situation worse?

My mom left the dishes right there in the sink and, as you know, the longer the oatmeal sits in the pot, the harder it is to clean out.

"When you have a number of disagreeable duties to perform, always do the most disagreeable first," said Josiah Quincy. Why not give it a try!

If you rely on the 'deus ex machina', you could be waiting a long time, and you will also damage your sense of Personal Power.

'Deus ex machina', in case you haven't heard the phrase, is Latin for "god from the machine" a dramatic device from the 5th century BC, particularly used by Euripides, the great classical tragedian. When you write the play, you get to write the ending, and all the "helps" along the way, as well!

How did it work? Our hero gets in trouble, serious trouble, and what happens? A "god" is lowered by crane onto the stage to solve the problem. Don't you wish??

The phrase came to mean "any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an apparently insoluble difficulty."

Also called 'praying for divine intervention', if you come to rely on it, you'll begin to feel more and more helpless. If you go ahead and tackle hard things yourself, you'll build your confidence and sense of Personal Power, and the respect of yourself and others.