This is a biggie, a huge problem that has been a “thorn in my side” all of my life, and I suspect it has been a problem for most of you as well?
Procrastination causes all sorts of stress in our lives. When we know we have something to do by a certain date and time, but we postpone getting it done early, repeatedly! I have operated like this since before the age of 10. I am now 41 years old and I still have yet to break this bad habit.
Why do I procrastinate? When I procrastinate, the stress kicks in, and that stress then manifests into anger and frustration. There is no one to blame but myself, for leaving everything for the last possible second, causing me to rush which then creates anxiety and chaos in my life! NO Bueno!
I am determined to let go of the procrastination crutch that has hindered my growth in so many ways, and I want to help you do the same. Procrastination has held me back for far too long; it has held you back for far too long! Let us examine why we procrastinate, so we can identify the underlying cause, and then kick it to the curb!
Why do we procrastinate? Many things come to mind, such as laziness, exhaustion, lack of motivation, or an unruly characteristic. However, I do not believe any of these reasons are the root cause. There is one very definitive culprit, FEAR! Yes, that is what I have come to understand it to be.
Fear holds us back and disguises itself in so many ways. I have come to realize that I have been afraid to move forward, afraid to become successful, and afraid to fail. I have noticed that I am paralyzed with fear when I aim to move forward. I freeze up whenever I need to get something done that can take me places, bringing me closer to my dreams. It sounds crazy, right? You would think I would jump at any chance of success, but unfortunately, that has not been the case.
These recent revelations have not been a conscious thing until now, and being conscious of the cause brings light and awareness to my problem, making it easier to resolve it and kick it to the curb! I know I cannot speak for everyone, but I do know I am not alone in my struggle. Many of us are afraid to move forward and become successful, especially due to fear of failure.
We need to remember that failing is positive and necessary. The more mistakes we make along the way, the more successful we become because we learn from our mistakes and from our failures. Those failures are your gifts. Failures help you to become very successful in your field or business, due to you discovering what to do and not to do along your journey. When we begin to look at failure in this new light, we will begin to shed those layers of fear, all while simultaneously shedding your bad habit of procrastinating.
Lastly, another root cause of my procrastination is a lack of confidence, which goes hand in hand with fear. Yes, lack of confidence causes much havoc in our lives. If I truly trusted that I could accomplish a goal or project, I would not delay getting that goal or project done. Yes, there are many times we need to research a subject, possibly even take courses, or go back to school to give us the knowledge we need to accomplish our goals, but this should never deter us.
If we believe we can do anything, we will do everything. Lack of confidence will create fear within you. The fear of being judged by another, or rather judged by you, your –very-self! We judge ourselves so harshly, thinking we are not good, not believing in ourselves, that we then project those feelings of judgment outwards.
Others will pick up your thoughts, and could, in fact, judge you as you have judged yourself (Judgment discussed in my article, “To Judge or Not to Judge?”.) We need to let go of the judgments we have on ourselves and believe how awesome we are. Let us get our confidence, our strength, our true innate power back, and kick procrastination to the curb!
So yes, I finally identified the causes to my procrastination, and it feels so good to understand why I procrastinated for so long. Can you now see how procrastination has held you and I back all these years, held us back from living our lives to the fullest, and keeping us from living our dreams? I have had it, enough is enough, I am tired of feeling stuck and paralyzed because of my fears. I will not allow it control me any longer. “Procrastination you’re outta here!”
Come on Folks, let us live, live fully and presently. When you live presently, procrastination cannot exist. As the saying goes, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
Love, Light, and Blessings to All!!!
