Procrastination to taking action.
Are you your own worst enemy or your BIGGEST CHEERLEADER?
We all do it... When for whatever reason we decide to ignore the to-do list. Instead of getting the stuff done that's going to move us forwards in life, the stuff that will help us to grow, to be our best selves, to feel accomplished.
18 days ago I decided to stop procrastinating in regards to starting my YouTube channel that I had been wanting to start for 6 months! I also decided I would start with a 30 day challenge to keep me posting regularly as well as to build my confidence. It was going really well... then the procrastination started to resurface. Leaving the videos until last minute, my efforts in making good quality videos decreased in a few of the videos, and then one particular day I left it so late that I ended up passing out and completely forgetting about it.
The self saboteur comes out in all of us from time to time which is okay, don't beat yourself up about it. Take a look at why you're getting in the way of your progress and ask yourself...
What limiting beliefs are you holding on to that is preventing your growth and success?
Is the goal you have for yourself a SMART goal?
Is it really in alignment with what you want?
Is it realistic for you?
For me there's been a lot of stressful situations over a small period of time creating feelings of overwhelm and fear. I've noticed old patterns and behaviours arise as a result of this overwhelm and fear. Turning to alcohol and partying to numb myself and avoid the uncomfortable emotions. My environment was mirroring how I was feeling on the inside, and my reality was altered. I got lazy and began to procrastinate and put things that fill me with joy on the back burner. Luckily I'm well aware of my self sabotage patterns and I was able to pick up on what I was doing. I knew I was stopping myself from achieving my goals and once I saw these patterns showing up I was able to make the decision to STOP procrastinating, to refocus, and get back to business.
After finishing a video and uploading it to my channel I feel such joy and accomplishment. When I leave it to last minute I feel annoyed, frustrated, and like I'm running out of time creating feelings of anxiety and stress. When I missed the video I awoke feeling disappointed and angry at myself, I was able to let go of that anger and admit in my next video I messed up and move forwards. We all mess up from time to time, and we all make mistakes. It's when you make the same mistakes time and time again that there's a problem that needs to be addressed.
To address this issue you need to start with why you're procrastinating in the first place. If you don't know what it is that's holding you back, you'll never be able to overcome that and create a different reality. It's also important to know how important it is for you to get over this, if you don't really desire to move past this procrastination, if your WHY isn't big enough, you won't put in the work to conquer this challenge.
There's always going to be challenges, obstacles, and different circumstances that create stress for you, it's a part of life. What we can do is get better at dealing with those challenges, notice when our saboteur is showing up and why. Take control of your life, take responsibility for your actions, but do NOT beat yourself up, do NOT belittle yourself when you make a mistake. Acknowledge the mistake, pick yourself back up and REFOCUS!
If you've answered the above questions and realise that your goal is not in alignment with you, and your sabotaging because you don't really want to do what you've set out to do... Then DON'T do it! There's no point wasting another second doing something that you hate, or trying to accomplish something that has no real meaning for you. Yes, there are things we may not like to do that we are doing in order to move us forwards, but it's the goal behind that which is important. For example, if you are working at a job that you don't necessarily like to pay the bills while you build your own business that you're passionate about in your free time, that's okay because you're working on building your passion which in time till blossom and you won't have to continue at the other job. If you absolutely hate the job you're doing to get you through, CHANGE IT! There's is abundance of jobs you can do to get you from a to b. The amount of people that tell me how hard it is to find a job, how there's too many applicants with more qualifications, blah blah blah. That is a belief you have chosen to take on, I know with certainty how easy it is for me to get a job, because I believe it. So stop with the excuses, spend that time and energy redoing your resume and sending it out to anyone and everyone, what's the worst thing that could happen? They'll either call you for an interview or tell you they're not interested. If you don't try it's always a no and you're stuck doing what you hate.
Take some time at least once a month to re-evaluate your goals, to ensure they're still in alignment with you and the life you desire. I have changed my goals and plans more times than I can count. As we move through life, we learn, grow and change, and when we change so does the things we want. And like I said in my goal setting post, you may not have been absolutely sure on what you wanted when you made the goals, but having something in place allows you to get moving and over time new goals and clarity will show up. Someone once told me when I was struggling to know where I wanted to go... "Go as far as you can see, and then you will see further". And if you're really stuck, focus on how you want to feel right now, and try different things, eventually you will find something that creates that feeling for you.
So STOP procrastinating!! Answer the above questions and get to work on achieving your goals today!!
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