This is one of the questions at the end of a chapter on Creative Procrastination that motivation speaker Brian Tracy asks in his book, Eat That Frog!

“If is is something you would not start again today, knowing what you know now, it is a prime candidate for abandonment or creative procrastination,” he writes. He asks you and me to examine each of our personal and work activities, evaluate it based on your current situation, then select at least one activity to abandon immediately or at least deliberately put off until more important goals have been achieved.

I know it might seem trivial, but for me, that one activity that I am selecting to abandon immediately is Facebook games, particularly the game Words with Friends. I have referenced my addiction to Facebook games previously in several posts, but most especially in this post called “Pausing before reversing direction again” last year. As I mentioned in that post then:

 It’s not…that I think Facebook games…are intrinsically evil. It’s that I need to make room for running, for writing…and for reading.

This time, though, to start, it’s that I need to make room for walking before I build back up to jogging and then only then, maybe running.

So as of five minutes ago, I have deleted all of my Facebook games (yes, again) including Words with Friends and later this morning, I will be heading out for that walk (yes again), my first frog of the day.

Is there one activity that you could abandon immediately that would make you more productive in reaching your goals? If so, what is it?

Unfortunately, I didn’t see just one. I saw several peppered throughout my hair. I leaned into the mirror to get a closer look and they almost sparkled, nay, winked at me as if to say, “You’re getting old, know whatahmean? Know what ahmean?”

I’ve been in a state of denial about the gray hair for at least two years. This June, I’ll be 42.

I’m writing this sitting in a medical clinic, waiting for my aunt to be finished with a doctor’s appointment. The majority of the people that have been in here are over 60, including my aunt, who just turned 61 on Saturday — meaning they all have a lot more gray hair than I do.

I wistfully watch as most of them are being accompanied by a walker, a cane along with a son or a daughter and a nurse then to see the doctor. Some day that will be me, sans the son or daughter since my wife and I have chosen not to have children (a subject for another post). It might be a niece or a nephew, or a boy or girl Scout.

At least I hope I live that long to hobble along, shuffle to the exam room. I hope the prognosis is good, that despite my gray hair, I’ve got more than a few good years left in my tank.

I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid. You’re afraid of us. You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin. I’m going to hang up this phone, and then I’m going to show these people what you don’t want them to see. I’m going to show them a world … without you. A world without rules or controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.

Neo in “The Matrix”

Sometimes I wish I could hang up the phone and start over (cue the music) as in the movie “The Matrix,” and today, in essence, that is what I am doing as I begin this new blog.

With those words that’s  how I began this blog — three years ago to the day.

Now am I hanging up the phone and starting over (cue the music) again? Short answer is no. Longer answer is sort of, but not really.

I’m continuing with my themed days of Motivation Monday, Midweek Review and Flashback Friday, and participating in The Sunday Salon, if for nothing else, my dogged pursuit of structure. However, my other themes that I have called “Of The Week,” I’m changing to “Of The Month,” namely “Patron of the Week,” and “Captcha of the Week.” Basically, as I looked back at Patron of the Week, I realized I really only was doing it once a month, so I thought why not just make it once a month. As for Captcha of the Week, I haven’t kept up with it hardly at all. I’ll probably call it Captchas of the Month now.

Over the last three years, a lot has changed. This blog is no longer a portal to three other blogs and a fourth blog called Unfinished Rambler. I have killed all of those other blogs but one: just a (running) fool, which I started in 2005, mainly because I can’t as it was my original WordPress.com blog. It’s not on the “grid,” so to speak, but it is still here on my dashboard with WordPress.com. I do have a “microblog” called Unfinished on posterous, but in essence, I have reduced my blogging to this one blog and I am one unfinished person in an unfinished universe.

Well, while that’s all well and good, the question you’re all asking yourself is, “So what’s in it for me?” meaning am I having a giveaway of some kind in celebration of my blog’s anniversary?

Photo by Andy Welsh on Flickr

This might shock you, but I’m not going to give away plates of this:

Photo by Marshall Astor on Flickr

Instead I’m going to give away…and this might shock you…

BOOKS (sorry, I couldn’t find the just right graphic).

Since I don’t have contacts in the publishing world, I’m not giving away books from publishers. I’m giving away a variety of books from my shelves (still to be determined, you’ll have to trust my impeccable judgment) dealing with the subjects of this blog: body, mind and soul.

Body: Books about running, other forms of exercise and diet. Will include a few cookbooks, thanks to my wife.

Mind: Books from any genre, including poetry, mystery, science fiction, nonfiction. Basically anything, except Satanism (see note below).

Soul: Books on spirituality, specifically on Christian spirituality, but not limited to that. Only thing not included will be Satanism. Sorry, all you fans of Anton LaVey.

The details (stolen verbatim with a few minor changes from Carrie at the blog Books and Movies with her permission):

~ I’m shipping the books myself, so this giveaway is open in the US and Canada only.

~ To enter, please leave a comment below. I will provide a link to this post at the bottom of each post up to, and including, next Friday, to remind those who might miss this post today of the giveaway.

~ One entry per person. Duplicate entries will be deleted.

~ All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. PST, Friday, April 8, 2011. On Saturday, April 9th, I will use Random.org to choose three winners. The first winner drawn will win the books on body; the second, books on mind; and the third, books on soul.

In honor of my anniversary, I let Zemanta go crazy with its recommended links and tags today, in case you’re wondering.

One added rule: Immediate family, ahem, that means you, wife and sister, are not eligible for the giveaway.