I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it. (Garrison Keillor)

I cast on a new project today. I know, I said that I wasn't going to start anything new until I finished all of the projects I'm already knitting. But this is a gift, so it doesn't really count. Plus, it's a super adorable pattern and it was impossible to resist. (By the way, the reason that there isn't a picture is because it is a gift and I wouldn't want the recipient reading this and seeing it early.)

As I sat and knit this afternoon, I realized something. There are several lies I tell myself, that I know are lies but I believe them anyway. You wouldn't think it possible to lie successfully to yourself, but I do it on a daily basis.

(1) "I will not start a new project until I finish the ones I already started." I've been successfully telling myself this lie for years. I really do mean to finish what I start, but something comes along that's more important, or more exciting, or whatever and the old project is placed on hold while I enjoy the excitement of doing something new. And although I tell myself that I'll go back and finish the first project, but before I have a chance there's another new project taking up my attention. It's the whole LS syndrome ("look, shiney").

(2) "I'm going to do everything on my To Do List today." Each morning I write the nine items I plan on doing that day. I list nine, because that's how many lines are available in my Daytimer. I choose the things that I really need to do, should do, or want to do. And I try to keep them realistic; where I used to put down "organize my house" I now just limit it to "organize one kitchen drawer." At the end of the day, I probably have done three or four of the items done and the rest are moved ahead to the next day. To make it worse, it's usually the same items moved forward day after day.

(3) "I'm going to stick to stick to my budget." Yeah, this lasts until I want to start a new project, come home from work too tired to cook, or get a call from a friend or child asking if I want to do something.

(4) "I'm going to simplify my life." This sounds really good, but it's based on the previous lies.

There are other lies I tell myself that I believe, like "I will lose all my weight by xxx" or "I'm going to blog every day without fail." Sadly, I still believe myself each and every time.