How Do You Defeat Procrastination?

How do you defeat procrastination? Action! In episode 33 of my podcast, I tackle the crippling effects of inaction. If you find yourself procrastinating and not working towards becoming a better you, you need to listen to this episode. Here is the link to my new podcast site, lessonslearntbecomingabetteryou.wordpress.com

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Defeating Procrastination

All right, you have decided to become the person others want to be. You’ve taken that first step on your journey. Goals have been set and you have written a detailed plan for accomplishing them. Now what? How are you going to get to that finish line? You see, it’s all a waste of time and energy if you don’t begin to do the work. You have to crack that egg to make your omelet. Congratulations! It’s time to take that first step on your journey to a new you.

This is the most important step, ACTION. Once you have made your decision to accomplish anything, 50% of the work is done. Congratulations once again, you are already halfway there. The other 50% comes from the action of getting it done.

It’s great that you have set your goals, written a good plan, and are ready to change. Unfortunately, nothing will change without ACTION. You must do the work. This is what stops most people. They are unwilling to do the work and make the sacrifices. This is why only 1% of people succeed. You are not like most people. It is inside you to get moving and take that step.

A Small Change Can Defeat Procrastination

A small change in your thought process can result in a large change in your lifestyle. That change is called ACTION. Inaction creates procrastination. Why do you procrastinate?

You have to get out of your comfort zone.

You have a fear of failure.

The fear of success.

Defeat Procrastination By Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Moving out of your comfort zone is difficult. It’s called a comfort zone for reason, it’s comfortable. You don’t like to be uncomfortable, nobody does. But it’s necessary for change.

Whenever you decide to do anything significant, like change, you experience a fear of failure. This is common. Those annoying little Doubt Demons will come out of hiding, repeating those thoughts of failure. “What if I fail, what will people say?”

Procrastination also comes from a fear of success. Many people do not see themselves as being successful. What will happen in your life if you succeed in accomplishing your goal? How will your life change? If your business becomes successful, how will that impact your time? Your family? You will have to deal with these fears before you can take that first step.

Other Reasons

Other reasons for inaction and procrastination can be:

Your goal is overwhelming.

It’s too complicated.

The timing isn’t right.

Goals can be overwhelming. Think about if your goal is to become a published author. The thought of coming up with an exciting plot and intriguing characters that keep the reader engaged. Writing 50,000 to 100,000 words can be staggering.

When you start on a new journey there can be a learning curve. Your goal can seem too complicated. If you decide to start a new business, you might not know what it takes to run a business. You will have to spend a lot of time studying and learning.

The Timing Is Never Right

Probably the greatest cause of procrastination is timing. You want to change your life, but today is not the best day to start. You don’t feel prepared. Equipment needs to be bought. How to Books need to be read. You decide to begin an exercise program to lose weight. Procrastination sets in because you don’t have the right clothes.

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I’m here to tell you that all the reasons outlined above are one thing. EXCUSES! They all stink.

There Is One Way To Defeat Procrastination

There is one way to defeat procrastination which is created by inaction and you know what it is. ACTION! When you take that first step and put your plan to action, it does some marvelous things to your mindset.

It conquers your fears.

Provides you with the knowledge of how you’re going to accomplish your goal.

K. I. S. S. Things become simpler.

You will eliminate all excuses.

It will ignite a passion within you.

Stepping out of your comfort zone will become tolerable.

You will learn how to embrace failure.

Action will chase those Doubt Demons back into their hiding place. You will be able to control and conquer all your fears.

Focus On WHY

Focusing on your WHY will keep you from worrying about how you’re going to accomplish your goals. You will learn new things and techniques to put your plan into motion.

Your mind will take your overwhelming goal and break it down. You will look at your project in smaller more manageable bits. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. (Please don’t try to eat an elephant. They are magnificent and there aren’t enough of them.)

All the excuses that caused you to procrastinate will become trivial. With ACTION you will begin to eliminate your excuses one by one. Pretty soon they will be all gone.

The greatest reward of taking the first step in putting your plan into ACTION is passion. It will ignite a passion within you to achieve your goal. Once you have lit this passion, you become unstoppable.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is hard. Possibly, one of the hardest things you do. Once you’re out, you realize that you can survive. Even though it might not be comfortable taking ACTION, you find that it is tolerable.

Failure is going to happen. Anyone who has ever accomplished anything great has had many failures along the way. The reason that they were successful was that they persevered. You are going to have failures and setbacks along the way. Embrace your failures, don’t hide from them. Don’t use them as an excuse to quit. Once you fail, you are closer to success. They are just steppingstones along the way.

Photo Credits

https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan

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The Fragility Of the Human Body

I have been unexpectedly absent from publishing my blog and podcast all due to an unplanned hospital stay and surgery. The human body is a remarkable thing that we don’t give a second thought to until something goes wrong. I didn’t have a clue that there was something wrong with my digestive system until everything shut down. When it happened, I became aware of the fragility of the human body. It doesn’t take much to go from feeling normal to ending up in the hospital.

The Fragility of the Human Body

It all started on February 19th. I had no indication anything was wrong when I went to bed. About two hours later I woke up in my stomach was distended and in pain. I then felt that familiar taste in the back of my throat that told me I needed to head to the bathroom. After vomiting everything that was in my stomach, I felt better and went back to bed. It didn’t last long and I was back up and headed to the bathroom for another round.

I lost track after seven trips and spent the whole next day in bed. Anytime I would drink anything you would come back up. Thinking that I had a stomach virus, I continue to stay in bed the next day and was able to hold down water only. I awoke on Monday morning, the 22nd and we headed to the emergency room.

Easy Peasy

Once in the emergency room, I was told that I had a small bowel obstruction. The doctor said they could normally remove the obstruction by inserting a tube into my stomach. I was okay with this because I thought it was going to be like an endoscopy where they knock you out, fix the problem, take out the tube, and wake you up. I was feeling pretty good.

That all came crashing down when the nurse came in and asked if the doctor explained the procedure. I told her what I thought was going to happen and she gave me a wicked smile. She then proceeded to tell me that I would be awake and the tube would be inserted up my nose, down my esophagus, and into my stomach.

Gagging

She then left and came back with another nurse and told me that the worst part was when the tube gets to the back of the throat. This triggers the gag reflex. They failed to tell me how much it hurts having something shoved up your nose. My nose started bleeding and I was using paper towels to stop it when they hit the gag reflex. I then began gagging uncontrollably. One nurse said, “You’ll get used to it in about an hour.” So for the next hour every time I felt the tube touched the back of my throat, I would gag. On a side note, gagging has to be one of the most unflattering looks a person can have.

Admitted

So I was admitted into the hospital with the hopes that by starving the small intestine it would shrink and remove the obstruction on its own. One day they pumped contrast into my stomach to see if it would pass through to the colon. It eventually made it through but at one point they could see it was slowing down and backing up. This meant the obstruction was still there.

Surgery

After almost a week in the hospital, they decided that it wasn’t going to clear up on its own and I would have to have surgery. I was taken to the operating room right away and woke up about six hours later and taken to ICU. He spent a few days in ICU and slowly began to feel better. They removed the tube in my nose which was a big relief. The next day they removed the catheter and transferred me to a regular room.

I was placed on a clear liquid diet and after not eating anything for nine days it tasted like a gourmet meal. After another week of recovering in the hospital, they let me go home. I felt good other than having no energy. Now I’m getting a little better every day but they tell me that it will take 2 to 3 months before I’m back to normal. It was a lot of trauma that my body went through and I’m not a spring chicken anymore. Going to try my best to get back to scheduling my blogs and podcasts twice a week. I will take things slowly but I am positive I will be back to my old self sooner rather than later. My message to you is to take care of yourself and never underestimate the fragility of the human body

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@mihaiteslariu0

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Quotes About Overcoming Fear With Faith

If you have been following some of my blog posts, then you are familiar with the term faith over fear. Faith is what gives me the confidence that I can handle any situation. Faith gives you the confidence that everything will turn out alright. You know that it will work out in your favor. Therefore, you don’t worry about any negative things that happen along the way. Faith is what keeps those irritating “Doubt Demons” locked in their little dark spaces. No matter how bad things are today, you know that tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow can be the day when things take a turn for the better. These quotes about overcoming fear with faith will help you conquer all obstacles in your journey to self-improvement.

“Fear has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.”
~ Zig Ziglar

What you fear is what you must conquer.
~ Lailah Gifty Akita

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“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
~ Nelson Mandela

Fear vs Faith Quotes

Faith builds your confidence. Fear tears it down. To accomplish great achievements you must carry faith with you. As you begin a new venture it can seem overwhelming, almost impossible. To turn it into a reality you will need confidence in yourself and everyone helping you. Everything is possible with faith. In 1969 we sent three astronauts to the moon. Two of the astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin actually landed and walked on the moon. Michael Collins flew the command capsule. This was a phenomenal feat. When they were given the “green light” to launch in July 1969, many scientists and experts thought we were years away from being ready. It took a lot of faith and confidence from the astronauts, engineers, scientists, and mathematicians to proceed on this historic event. In fact, experts only gave them a 50 percent chance of making it back alive.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
~ Deuteronomy 31:6

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
~ Rosa Parks

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Faith vs Fear, It’s Your Choice

If the people that were involved in the moon landing had focused on their fears, that event would have never happened. Faith and fear are the same things, a choice. You can choose fear and do nothing or you can choose faith and accomplish great things. Fear will keep you right where you’re at, in your comfort zone. Faith will give you the confidence to control your fears and succeed. When you make that decision to change your life, see the outcome that you want, and have faith that it’s going to happen. Does that mean there won’t be obstacles along the way? No, but faith will get you through them. Focusing on your fears will have you turning around and going back to your old, comfortable life.

“Do the thing we fear, and death of fear is certain.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it… that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.”
~ Dale Carnegie

Changing and making the decision to improve your life is hard. You will encounter doubts and fears. I pray that these quotes about overcoming fear with faith will help you conquer all obstacles in your journey to self-improvement. Listen to the podcast above where I go more in-depth on faith vs fears.