Yeah for Mondays!

I actually kind of like Mondays. They represent a fresh start. A new week holds so many possibilities. I can leave last week behind me and focus on all the things I can accomplish this week. I usually make a list of things to do each week - a five day plan, if you will. I haven't worked up to a five-year plan. That seems too lofty for me right now. But it's becoming more appealing as I face making big decisions about my future. Maybe I'll put that on my list of things to do this week: five year plan. I have to post my five day plan up in several places that will catch my eye throughout the week. Then I have to remind myself not to wait until Friday to start on those things. I'm trying to make my new motto: "The key to success is not in trying harder but in being consistent." I got it out of a running book. I've been toying with the idea of running a marathon for about three years now. I can never keep on a regular training schedule though. I get about three weeks in and get bored. Then I just try to do the long runs on the weekends without all the shorter training runs during the week. That doesn't work very well.

My problem, though, is that I really excell in doing things at the last minute. It's not a very good habit, but it is a good skill. I wish I was more incremental in my approach to tackling major projects. But I'm much more successful when I get within a few days of a deadline and hammer things out all at once. It's a strategy that's gotten me through grad school really well. Let's be honest though, I'm not turning in my best work. I could turn in much better papers if I took the time to read through them, correcting errors and working out the kinks in logic before submitting them. That doesn't really motivate me not to procrastinate though. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I just have to believe that my half-assed work is as good as most professors and employers expect. Maybe I'm kidding myself by thinking that most other people work over time. I think that's one of the biggest lies among grad students. Does anyobdy really READ all the assigned material before class? Does anybody really proofread their papers and get feedback from other people before turning them in? We all spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince everyone else that we're just as smart as they are, but are we fooling anyone? I mean, I know there are those few truly brilliant people who do spend a majority of their time reading and thinking and writing for class. And they are the ones who are getting their money's worth. I envy them. I chalk it off as my underdeveloped sense of self-discipline. Perhaps it's my semi-obsession with being acknowledged for my work. Either way, I don't take the time to do things as well as I could, and thus far it's done me just fine.

At the new grad student orientation three semesters ago, I was looking around the room, listening to what each of my new colleagues had accomplished, and where they were from, feeling not unlike Elle Woods at her first day at Harvard Law sitting in the grass with the students who had spent a year immunizing children against TB in third-world countries. KU is no Harvard, but some of the grad students I have come in contact with here are Ivy League. Regardless of first impressions, I've settled in here nicely. I even feel like I am cut-out for graduate work better than some. I work hard, even if it is last minute, I am a reader, I communicate ideas well, and I am a damn good TA.

Why am I so concerned about entering the work force then? School is the only thing I've ever known. I had a bang-up internship as an undergrad. I really flourished there. But what if it was just that particular work place, or those people? Will I be able to find that again?

These are all issues I guess I just have to trust God with. I know He has a plan and a purpose for me. My one true desire is just to follow his will. He created me. He knows my talents, gifts, weaknesses, and interests. Who better to shape my destiny?

Look at all the good things that happen at the beginning of a week! The possibilities are endless! I could wake up tomorrow and find my dream job. I could meet my soul mate on Wednesday. I could win an all expenses paid trip to Buenos Aires on Thursday. And Friday, I can do all the things on my to do list. Yeah for Mondays!