“My my Vito. You’re very industrious.”

It was the comment from my roommate during my graduate degree as I came back from the weekend and saw the sink piled up with plates. They were stacked high, almost falling over and I realized they will probably be left there for another day.

Putting my bags down, I went to work right away at clearing out the sink, eliciting the comment and amusing the people who knew me in my early twenties:

Consummate procrastinator, full of excuses and never willing to just do the work. Big dreams full of shortcuts that never pan out.

That kitchen sink was my kitchen sink at one point.

The issue is I had run out of excuses and time was not moving any slower. I had to do the work because there was no other choice. That particular year was a busy one with me living in two cities, working on the weekends, school during the week, teaching twice a week and planning a wedding.

And yet, I still managed to finish my thesis ahead of schedule, with plenty of time to enjoy a summer trip with my fiancée.
(Side note: You know what’s harder than writing a thesis? Everything.)

It took many years to get to that point (and another decade after that for it to really settle in) where you realize how you do one thing is how you do everything.

Outcomes in life are based on attitudes and actions.

It may not be the outcome you want, but it will be the one that represents who you are.