How often is it that you find yourself with a heap of things to do, yet you can’t seem to make yourself get around to doing them? Well if you’re anything like me, the answer is probably more often than you are proud to admit. But if we’re being honest about things, this is an issue that most people have dealt with at some point in their lives. And it’s one that I have come to learn a few quick fixes that get me back in shape. And I’m pretty sure they can work for you too!
So, what keeps you from getting things done?
Before we get into the solution, let’s talk about the root cause of having a lack of motivation. It all boils down to one word. Fear. Grrrrrrrr!
Procrastination is a sign of fear; fear of failure, fear of being overwhelmed and overworked, or fear of the unknown. When you find yourself putting things off, stop and ask yourself, “What am I afraid of?”
Fear is the ugly creature that creeps into every storyline to steal your joy, peace, and sometimes even rob you of the life that you were destined to lead. Read more about how crippling fear can be here.
Think of it in terms of cause and effect. Better yet, think of what happens when you catch a cold. What are the symptoms of a cold? Runny nose, cough, tearing eyes, so on and so forth. The symptoms are what let you know that you are not at 100% with your health. They are only the indicator of something else. In this case, the virus that causes your body to go out of whack.
The same goes for fear. Fear is like the virus that leads you to do all kinds of things that you wouldn’t normally do. Hence the reason why for centuries, humanity has been asked the question:
What would you do if you weren’t afraid? — Unknown
Well this is the exact question you must ask when you find yourself putting off the very tasks that would only benefit you to complete.
Here are my top 3 go-to tips for cutting the through the B.S. and getting it done!
Yes, I call fear a bunch of B.S.! Why? Well because fear is usually just a reaction that you have to the negative thoughts that you hold in your mind about certain subjects. It’s telling yourself over and over again that you are not good enough, that you can’t possibly get that thing done, that it would take way too much energy to do, that you will fail, or even somehow be destroyed by the process.
But when it comes to getting the things done that will help improve the quality of your life, such as getting that job, improving your finances, starting that dream business, etc… Putting it off will only keep your goodness from you longer. So here are the 3 things I’ve learned to do to get past this roadblock.
- Get clear about your fear: What scares you most about getting this task completed? Honestly, laziness is also a fear of being overworked. Rejection is never fun, and that could be another reason why you haven’t tackled your priorities. Whatever it is, know it and own it. You can’t fix what you don’t acknowledge.
- Ask yourself, ” What would it cost me if I don’t do it?”: Here is where we get real with ourselves about our current circumstances. If you are not where you want to be, then the only way to change that is to do something about it. You need to be clear about what your inaction could mean for your life. And the more severe the consequence, or the more you feel that some part of your life will suffer longer, the more of a priority it needs to be.
- Change your self-talk: 99% of all doubt comes from our own thoughts. The other 1 % comes from the rest of the world. So take some time to sift through your own thoughts and see how you may actually be acting as your own worst enemy. It always helps to feed your mind messages that are more likely to inspire you to take action. This includes reading books, or blogs like this ;-). Once you get your mind right about the subject, then you will be willing to do whatever is in your power to make something happen.
Hope this helps! As usual, the best conversations take place in the comments. If you have a comment or question, I’d love to hear from you!
Love,
Originally published at bcstarks.com on August 22, 2016.
Originally published at medium.com