"You are only 24. You have time on your side to pursue your dreams," I said.

"So what? Age is never a factor," he retorted and supplemented his argument with examples. "Grandma Moses started painting at 82, Charles Lamb started writing after 60 and our very own Satyajit Ray made his first film at 35."

All this was a conversation on an instant messenger. Yet with all the vibrancy of a face-to-face debate. As little children we dream of so many things that we want to be when we are grown up; even when we are adults we have these ever growing list of dreams. Our professional dreams do take shape in the form of a career or a living (again not necessarily) but what about the other little dreams? Many a dream is smothered in the desperate rush to earn a livelihood. For all those who have to support their families and be the wage earners the dreams soon turn to dust. And there are others who aren't trying hard enough. Or procrastinating. Like me. Among my many other dreams were dreams of making a name for myself in the fields of writing and painting. Although I have begun the journey of becoming a writer (albeit with small steps) the dream of having my own exhibitions and displaying my works of art is still far away. A demanding 9 to 6 job does take up time and leave me tired at the end of the day, but there is still the weekend at my disposal. Yet what have I done during those weekends other than huddle with a book or plop myself on the couch like the archetypal couch potato. Procrastination is my main vice. I see scores of people letting their dreams turn to dust and I panic. I will not let that happen to me I promise myself. And I procrastinate. Yet again. "Carpe Diem," I say to others but I fail to seize the day myself. To motivate myself and spur myself into action I promised a couple of friends in another city that I would send them hand painted posters within a week. I call this technique "throwing your hat over the fence." It is based on an article of the same name that was published in an issue of Reader's Digest. By throwing your hat over the fence, you are actually goading yourself to act because you have to go to the other side of the fence to pick it up. If you procrastinate you will end up losing your hat. Similarly in my case since I'd promised my friends that I would send them hand painted posters I would have to paint them without fail. A week later the posters did reach my friends and earned me some compliments as well. But what mattered most to me was that I'd done it- conquered procrastination by throwing my hat over the fence." This however was just the beginning. As Robert Frost put it, "I have miles to go and miles to go before I sleep!"
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