Operation GET OFF YOUR BUTT

I Want YOU To Get Up Off That Butt!

I Want YOU To Get Up Off That Butt!

     If you’ve been reading my ramblings for awhile, you know I like to get introspective from time to time. OK…alot.  I even have a post category called “Navel Gazing.”  Years ago, during an argument with my lovely wife, I referred to myself as “deep.”  That was one I wanted to get back as soon as I said it. But still, I often find myself looking in the mirror and saying, “Self…what are you doing with your life?”  And often the answer is, “Waiting.” As Tom Petty once sang, “The waiting is the hardest part.”  I don’t know if it’s the hardest part but it sure can be annoying.

     I’ve talked in detail before about my struggle with “analysis paralysis” and I’ve probably mentioned that my number one motto (I have several) is, “I fear change.” And while procrastination in other people annoys the heck outta me, it really bugs me when I do it myself…even if I have really good reasons.

     So, what’s my point? Well, I’m tired of sitting around planning on doing stuff.  So I’m kicking off Operation GET OFF YOUR BUTT around the Nerd Cave household.  And yes, I realize Operation GOYB isn’t the catchiest name but it’s what I’ve got so I’m running with it.

     “But Mike,” you ask, “how is this different from the other times you’ve fretted about your tendency to exhibit “analysis paralysis?” AND claimed you’d be getting busy with various things.  It’s probably not. Other than that this time, I really, really, really mean it.

     I just turned 44.  When you’re a 44 year old card-carrying nerd, and you look around at stacks & stacks of unbuilt model kits, shelves of unplayed games, and boxes of unread comic books, you realize, “If I don’t turn things up a notch, I’m never going to make a dent in ANY of these things that I’m supposed to love before I take the dirt nap.”  I say “supposed to” because I like to think actions speak louder than words in life and no matter how much I sit around on my keister proclaiming myself a “lover of this,” or a “lover of that,” it doesn’t mean much if I’m not actually doing something.

     The model railroading hobby has a term, “armchair railroader.”  It refers to guys who, for whatever reason, aren’t “ready” to actually build a model railroad, so they sit in their Lazy Boys, read Model Railroader magazine and various how-to books, sketch out trackplans, and generally daydream about the day they start to build their own little railroading empire. Well, I’m tired of being an armchair nerd.  I’ve got a whole bunch of plans but not a whole lot to show for them.

     And I know I’m probably not alone out there. As I’ve mentioned many times, I listen to a ton of podcasts and watch (or listen to) a lot of YouTube videos. It is exceedingly rare to NOT hear these guys lamenting how they haven’t recorded or posted lately or haven’t been hobbying because they’ve been busy and gee, they wish there were more hours in the day, blah, blah, blah. ENOUGH, I say! it’s time for the whining & daydreaming to stop and the doing to commence.  And yes, I know that sounds a lot like an Ed Harris voiced-over, Home Depot commercial.

     So, as the weather cools, I’ll be posting often on the progress of Operation GET OFF YOUR BUTT. Hopefully, if you find yourself in the same boat as me, maybe we can make some changes together and get more enjoyment out of our lives. Because dudes, there are models to be built, games to be played, movies to be watched, and comics to be read! And they ain’t gonna build, play, watch, or read themselves.

     Until next time…Stay nerdy my friends.

Copyright 2013 It Came From The Nerd Cave