Several years ago I was approached by one of Tim Topham's assistants asking me to contribute an article to their newly started Inner Circle.

I immediately agreed to it. I loved the idea and was grateful for the opportunity to contribute.

I had learned so much from Tim through his blog and podcast. I knew I had a lot to share with other teachers & entrepreneurs and thought it would be a great way to give back.

Here's the thing though, I never wrote the article. I kept putting it off saying, "I need to do this for my business first, then I'll get to writing".

At the time, I was in the middle of starting up my brick and mortar music school and I was so bad at time management.

I mean really bad.

And being that bad left me overwhelmed, over-worked, and unproductive. So, no article.

Now I'm kicking myself so hard for not finishing. Tim has grown his small blog into a full-blown music teacher's aid empire and I wasn't able to contribute.



So here are 3 lessons I've learned about procrastination:

Procrastination isn't worth the potential regret

Yup, I seriously regret not getting an article to them.

Who knows who could have been inspired, who's business could've been changed or what doors it could've opened? None of us will ever know.

It's a truly terrible feeling to be selected for something special and to let those people down because you procrastinated. I don't wish it on anyone.



Procrastination is a time sucking monster
"I'll do that after I start/finish this" sounds innocent enough, right? WRONG!

If you're procrastinating on something, you're going to be thinking about it while you're doing absolutely everything else.

That will slow down your progress on your current project and eventually everything will either come to a halt or you'll completely give up on whatever it was you were procrastinating and



Procrastination is an anxiety producer
This is the biggest lesson I learned. When I procrastinate anything, I feel anxious.

That little voice in my head starts whining - yeah, she whines, it's worse than yelling - and she won't stop until I do the thing I've been putting off.

Once I do it she's happy again - like a little kid finally getting that ice cream they so desperately wanted - but I don't feel better. I feel drained and guilty for letting it get that far.



Have I learned my lesson about procrastinating? Sure.

Have I mastered it and completely stopped procrastinating? Nope.

Will I continue to work on it? You bet!

I recently got my second vaccination shot and I'm not going to lie, it hit me hard. I was out of commission for two full days and still feeling off the third.

I'm glad I did it, but that's not what this post is about. Today, I'm talking about chicken soup.

Not just any chicken soup. Belize chicken soup.

What's so special about this Belize chicken soup? I'm so glad you asked!

A few years ago my husband and I visited Ambergris Cay in Belize. Our flights and ferry ride over weren't the easiest and we had a few other complications with our travel that left us feeling pretty drained and kind of punky. Thankfully we had our whole vacation to relax and get our energy back.

That first night finding dinner was a challenge. Neither one of us knew what the food was like and we weren't looking for anything adventurous, yet.

We walked down the beach to this little beachfront cafe and decided to give it a chance. To say we enjoyed our meals there is an understatement because we went back 4 more times on our trip!

I ordered fish tacos, but my husband went for their chicken soup. I kid you not, he was a new man after eating that soup. His energy was back. His discomfort was gone. It was magical.

That ended up being his favorite meal of the entire trip. (Yes, he ordered it a couple more times and so did I!)

When we got home from that trip, we couldn't stop thinking about the soup and wanting to go back just for that soup. Since that wasn't an option, we started searching for recipes.

It took a little time, but I found this recipe on a blog a few months after our trip. I don't remember which blog I found it on, but the one below has our modifications to the soup to make it more like the one we had in Belize.

Before I got my second shot, I decided to make some of this soup knowing that I would want something comforting. I hope it brings you and your family as much comfort as it brings me and mine!

Belize Chicken Soup

• 3-4 chicken leg quarters
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• Water to cover
  
• Up to 1 TBSP Malher consommé
• 1-2 habanero peppers, whole
• Cilantro, to taste
• 2-3 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 large potatoes, roughly chopped

Heat dutch oven over medium heat.
Brown the chicken in batches. (do thighs first) Return all chicken to pot.
Add onion & garlic. Sweat for 5 minutes.
Add water to cover. Add habanero, consommé,  and cilantro. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Add carrots and potatoes. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
Add more cilantro right before serving, if desired.
Serve with coconut rice.

Notes:
All of the ingredients should be roughly chopped. It's a chunky and hearty soup!

We use water, but chicken stock will also work.

Malher's comsommé can be purchased here. Yes, it MUST be this brand, otherwise it won't taste right. Yes, it's a big jar, but trust me, you'll use it all and if you need ideas just hit me up!

Stab the habanero a few times, but unless you like it Extremely spicy (like you can't taste anything else level spicy), don't cut it!

We use Yukon Golds, but any potato will work for this recipe.