“How to overcome Procrastination and get going on that goal you are working on"
Today's post is a bit long but I feel it is one of my best advice I have given...
“If I told you that for every step you made towards the goal you have set out to achieve, I would give you $1000.00, will you be motivated to get off your comfort zone and start working?”
I am amazed that every time I had asked this question to my training class, every hand will shoot up with an emphatic “YES!”.
Then, I say, “You do not have a big enough WHY behind what you need to do” The idea therefore is to understand the whys of the goals you are embarking on and make it so damn important or attractive that you are driven to get started and keep moving.
In a nutshell, this force will keep the evil “Procrastination” demon away.
My father-in-law suffered a heart attack about 13 years ago…looking at him today, you wouldn’t know that he has a heart condition. He looks very different from his tubby frame, chain smoking days before the attack. Now he runs at a pace better that many people half his age and has a killer golf swing. What happened to lead him into such a drastic change and achieving his personal goal to quit smoking and lose weight? He had tremendous leverage – the heart attack. He had a big enough “WHY” that motivated him to cut smoking and to exercise. He wanted to live as he still had a full life ahead of him.
However, do not think it was an instant process, many people forget the road towards worthwhile goals is paved with sweat, tears and sacrifice. He kept on pursuing his goals because the wanted to live. That strong desire drove the procrastination demon away and kept him on the road to recovery a year later.
All over the world, everyday, there are individuals who have this kind of leverage and get their goals kick started because something significant happened, but I say, we don’t have to wait for such drastic events to happen, all we need is the employ the power we already have in us: Choice
As human beings, we have the capability to make choices everyday:
* Do I eat that extra helping of dessert my mom is urging me to help clear the plate
* Do I make that extra phone call to the prospect
* Do I apologise for the hurtful words I made in the fit of anger
* Do I take the stairs or use the escalator
* Do I watch TV or take out that correspondence course on Management
* Do I give or do I take?
* Do I gossip or do I continue to put the effort on the project?
Everyday we have that choice to either take another step or to go back another step. I would even go further to say that almost every hour or minute we have that choice to make…yes or no. I used to like the Star Wars movie and absolutely love Master Yoda’s advice to Luke Skywalker :
“Do or Do not, there is no try”
Do you do it or not do it? Will it help me move towards my goals or throw me into despair?
Here’s the thing, lasting success is not about taking the giant leap into your dreams but the constant step by step up the stairs towards your dreams. Step by step because you can see where you are going and adjust if things go wrong. It also builds upon the foundations and layer on strength with every step. This builds lasting change and gives you greater confidence towards other goals. Taking giant leaps will not give you the opportunity to change course if you need and you could end up at a place you hate.
So start by making the choice, small ones at first, never mind if it takes a long time, but the process of making small but deliberate steps gives you momentum and it will propel you towards your goals.
I simply love this quote by Gothe, which goes like:
“Riches amassed in haste will diminish, but those collected by little and little will multiply”
Also, a word of caution, do not think that by being busy you are making positive steps – many of us get caught up in the daily chores that deceive ourselves that we are doing great…
It's been said that most of us living in the twentieth century are not human beings but "human doings." We spend so much time DOING that we don't have much time left for just BEING.
Many of us suffer from a fatal disease called "busyitis."
Can you see yourself in this poem ???
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"He never had time to pen a note.
He never had time to cast a vote.
He never had time to sing a song.
And he never had time to right a wrong.
He never had time to love or give.
He never had time to really live.
But from now on, he had time on end...
He died today my busy friend."
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Don’t be busy, be fixed on what you need to do, the small but significant steps to achieve your goals. It will come true, if day by day you just DO.
Here are the steps:
1. Select worthwhile, goals that excite and motivate you
2. Breakdown the goals into significant steps and know what you need to do
3. Make a CHOICE everyday, to progress by doing the steps (at whatever time you agree you will do it. Eg, evenings at 9pm for 30mins everyday)
4. Take note of progress and look back to see how much you have progressed. Feel good.
5. Continue with consistency until you get the goal.
So here is my parting shot. Try not to look at a huge goal and sigh. Think of the small achievable ones and smile. There is something about beginning a project – the hardest is to start, but the 2, 3, 4 or 5 years you expect to complete the goals usually do not come true. You will get to it much faster than you expected.
With gratitude,
bruce
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