Procrastinating Again?

We all do it. We rarely know why. And yet, we feel helpless to do anything about it. Procrastination is crippling—and can potentially destroy our lives.

Let me give you a few examples: If you were to put off asking out the woman, or man of you’re your dreams, you could –and probably would—lose an opportunity to find happiness. If you took too long to make an important business decision, you would surely loose an opportunity to make money.

Imagine what would happen if you SUDDENLY STOPPED paying your mortgage— Scary thought!

Procrastination: The express train to a stressful life

If you want to crank up your stress levels—start procrastinating—trust me—it works! Okay, you’re probably thinking to your-self ‘NO THANKS’ but, this is what many of us do everyday of our lives. We put off important things, like making money, starting our diet, or even urgent stuff, like filling out our tax returns.

There may be times when delaying things serve a purpose: Putting off buying a new car, if your job is on the line, would be one good reason. Or, postponing your wedding, if you’re having second thoughts. These would both be good reasons for dragging your feet.

But on the other hand, if you put off looking for another job because you hate the one you’re in, nothing will change. You just stay unhappy doing the job you do. So how do we get ourselves moving?

Understand this: When you keep putting off something that is really important to you: Starting a new business, or pursuing a promising relationship, you could be re-acting to fear. Maybe you fear failure. Perhaps you fear the attention that goes with success. You might avoid taking a risk with a relationship because you don’t feel worthy enough.

Another reason we may procrastinate— is if we lack—or believe we lack the required skills to succeed. The trick is to gather just enough information and skill to get started. This will give you enough confidence to get going. Remember, starting can be the hardest part.

3 ways to beat procrastination

1. THINK AND DO IT NOW! In his great book ‘The Success System That Never Fails’ W. Clement Stone talks about his simple philosophy of success. Stone believes that when we desire to achieve something, we should first THINK, and then DO IT NOW! Remember, ACTION is the cure for IN-ACTION!

2. Make sure you have enough knowledge, and enough skill to get started. You can always add more as you go along. But the most important thing—is to START!

3. If you have an important goal, and you find yourself doing everything in your power to sabotage it, you may be experiencing fear. Spend some time exploring your thoughts. Discover whether you fear failure—or even success. It would be well worth your while doing a little self-analysis in this area of your life.

We all procrastinate at times. And it’s natural up to a point. But when we become crippled with fear—we need to pay attention.

Remember, life is precious. Life is short. Life is an adventure. So make sure you take action. THINK AND DO IT NOW!

Until next time!

Marcus.