When I first meet people they are often impressed by how much I have accomplished.
It surprises me.
I thank them for the compliment but on the inside, I’m usually thinking . . . hmmm . . . okay, why is it such a big deal, don’t others accomplish their goals?
And yes, some do. But it’s a shocking number of people who don’t. Which perplexes me.
I’m not saying everyone needs to have a long list of things they must do in their life. But most people have passions and interests and goals, do they not?
Do you?
If so, are you pursuing them? Are you accomplishing them?
If the answer is no, why not?
What is standing in your way?
I truly want to know the answers to these questions so please, send me a message or leave a comment below.
I’m going to go on the assumption that if you’re still reading, you probably are having difficulty setting goals and following through with them.
Regardless of what they are. There is one sure way to put a stop to your procrastination.
Quit the excuses.
Procrastination is all about excuses. Even if the goal is something you actually WANT, people are notorious for creating their own roadblocks to all but ensure that their goal is never reached. Why?
Most likely, the reason is fear of failure.
Think about it. If your goal is to lose weight . . . what’s your biggest fear?
That you won’t lose it, or that you won’t be able to keep it off.
If your goal is to go back to college or quit your job and find something else you actually will like . . . what’s your biggest fear?
That you won’t graduate? That it’ll cost too much and you are afraid of the debt? That you won’t get the job of your dreams . . . or even worse, that you’ll end up not loving the job of your dreams?
Fear is a huge motivator.
So let’s use it to turn the tables IN your favor.
Let’s say you end up never losing the weight and never achieve the body you want, the lifestyle you want, the love that you want . . . don’t you fear NOT having those things? Don’t you fear THAT failure?
Which failure is worse? Trying and not succeeding or never trying at all?
Let’s say you don’t go back to college and you never work your dream job . . . you spend your entire life doing something you hate and always wondering WHAT IF? What kind of life could you have had?
Isn’t THAT failure worse than if you tried and it didn’t work out?
It’s been well documented that people on their deathbed tend to regret the things they didn’t do, not the things they did.
My life motto has been to live without regrets. No matter what has happened, even if something I tried or someone I allowed into my life didn’t work out, I have always known that I made the right decision. Because the alternative of not knowing and regretting not taking action was always worse in my mind.
I have a little trick for you when you are trying to make a decision. Flip a coin, label the options with heads or tails. I guarantee you there will always be a majority in your own emotions, heart, and head that want a particular outcome. Regardless of what the coin ends up being, you’ll have your answer.
So now that you know that fear is the leading reason for your procrastination, laziness coming in a close second, what action can you take to start accomplishing your goals?
First, you need to decide on a goal.
Be specific and clear as to what this goal is and the date you want to accomplish it.
Second, set specific daily actions that will lead you to accomplish this goal.
Write them down. Be clear. Be specific.
Vague reasons or actions or dates will not do.
You may not meet your timeline when all is said and done. But that’s okay. Some flexibility is both necessary and essential with life.
If you take the specific actions, however, it won’t matter if you miss your deadline. You will still accomplish your goal.
Third, take the first step and hold yourself accountable.
This is YOUR goal. No one else is going to do it for you. No one else cares if you accomplish our goal. You may need other people in order to accomplish it, but they are simply stepping stones to your destination. It is up to you to take the steps.
Most importantly, don’t set unrealistic goals. If you become unfocused or overwhelmed and try to do too much, too many things for either the one goal or other goals you have set, you’ll see very little progress. And this will discourage you.
I recently took a business course that highlighted my favorite concept lately,
Progress, not Perfection.
Trying to get something perfect or do something perfect will often keep you from doing it at all.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Outline WHY this is your goal, WHY it is important to you and WHAT you will feel or obtain once you reach it.
Add passion and reason to it. Make IT your focus and you can accomplish anything you set out to do.
Drop the excuses. Drop the fear. And just make it happen!
If you are currently struggling to accomplish a goal, please leave a comment below and share what that is. Maybe together we can get you moving!
Your friend,
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