introduction

hello,

my name is robbie and i'm a procrastinator.

i'm 53 years old, and procrastination has hounded me my entire life.  no
matter how motivated i am -- sometimes especially when i'm motivated,
oddly --
i will sabotage my own efforts by withholding.  to me it's all about
withholding, but at a terrible price.  waiting until the last minute to
accomplish something is my drug.  i am fueled by the adrenaline, the
stress, the feeling of getting it all in just under the wire.

if i were truly able to do that 100% of the time, i probably would not
be
writing today.  but the truth is i don't.  and in the sturm und
drang i not only make myself miserable, i make the people around me
suffer
because of my addiction.  my work fellows, my personal relationships, my
family, even my pets.

i do not procrastinate all day, every day.  i have great bursts of
energy
and accomplishment, typically followed by long periods of "down"
time, in which i will use any excuse not to proceed.  a productive week
at
work, for example, might be followed by a month of absolute torpor.

recently i read a great book called "talent is overrated," by geoff
colvin.  in the book the author debunks the theory that some people are
better performers simply because they contain a divine spark that makes
it
easier for them than most.  instead, he shows, the people that truly
rise
to the top are the ones that work the hardest, in an undiluted manner he
calls
"deliberate practice," day in and day out, at their craft.  the
book inspired me very much -- then i realized, in a stark, horrifying
way, how
much of my life has been pissed away because i procrastinated.

i am a member of two other 12-step fellowships which have served me well
and
for which i give back service.  i am a devout believer in 12-step
recovery.  i had heard some time ago that there was a "latecomers and
procrastinators" meeting in new york city, but
according to your website
it has dissolved.  so i was heartened to find your site when i went
online
today looking for solutions.

i am looking at the remaining half of my life and i want to change.  my
greatest fear is imagining the end my life, looking back and regretting
that i
languished.  to me this is about the preciousness of life, of each
moment,
and capturing it, cherishing it, using it, making something of it,
before its
gone.

i need help.  thanks.

robbie