Biting The Bullet For Massive Action
Is your business stuck because your tend to procrastinate? If so, join the crowd. If we were to believe this article, then around 95% of the population tends to indulge in procrastination from time to time.
What’s worse is that when we are already stuck in a mental hell hole we are the worst candidates for this mental disease. At least that is what I call it.
Procrastination stops us from having so much fun, achieving so many things and yet, we keep doing it. Why is it that we have this nasty, self sabotaging habit seemingly built into ourselves?
Do you know the answer? I certainly don’t. What I do know though is that there is a way to make the transition from major procrastinator to action junkie (OK, perhaps not to those extremes, but I’m sure you know what I mean).
Taking super-small steps to overcome procrastination
If you are the classic type of self sabotage – action – self sabotage -action person then you need to determine why it is you are doing this. Often it is because we fear something. The most common fears associated with procrastination are:
- Fear of failure
- Fear of ridicule
- Fear of success
- Fear of taking charge of our life
Are you perhaps seeing one of those in your own reasons to procrastinate? If you do, then take action now by taking super-small steps toward the other end of the spectrum.
When we are buried in clutter, we usually say “I don’t know where to start” and give up before we even get going. Instead we should say, “lets do this” and start in one corner. Soon enough we see progress and this is the biggest kick we can experience to keep going.
The same applies when we try to lose weight. We mull over our bellies, the pants we don’t fit into anymore and the sexy clothes we can’t wear anymore. Therefore we tend to hide our bodies from the world and it gets worse and worse as we keep indulging into comfort foods to make us feel better.
Unfortunately those feelings are only superficial. They are not really real and last a mere few minutes before the guilt returns. If you do this, know this; unless you get out there and become physically active AND change your diet, things will only get worse.
I should know because I have been at that junction only a couple of months ago. I had only two choices at the time:
- To keep eating junk, working too much and feeling sorry for myself because I couldn’t fit my old sexy clothes anymore, or
- Be radical about my lifestyle and change it for the better.
Guess what I did?
I’m happy to announce that I not only lost a lot of weight, but I feel fantastic and get a lot of compliments from friends about my improved looks. Does this mean I am were I want to be health wise?
No, but I know that I can do this as long as I keep travelling on that road I chose. That knowledge gives me power to continue, because in the end it is worth it – I will have gained my life and health back!
Never under-estimate the small steps
I urge you to never under-estimate the small steps in anything you are trying to achieve. I’m living proof that it can be done – in many areas of life, not just with weightloss and health.
Remember, success starts with a small step and plenty of repetition.
Good luck and let’s do this!
Monika
About the Author: I'm a passionate freelance writer and problogger. To further build my business I'm also in the process of building my own niche empire which pays me residual income.
scott | Jan 31, 2009 | Reply
Great advice Monika…I just got through reading a post by Tim Ferris on Leo Babauta’s “The Power of Less”. This book basically underlines taking small but definitive steps. He says ” take only one habit to change at a time to be successful”. This from a man with six kids who quit smoking, lost weight, became a marathon runner, etc.
So your topic on procrastination is telling me that I need to get on the train and start changing some bad habits I have that evolved because of procrastination.
Never a better time to start!
Thanks
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome | Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
The advice for small business people regarding marketing about small regular actions produce big results I’ve found works across all areas of life.
Kathy @ Virtual Impax | Feb 6, 2009 | Reply
My daughter has a great saying when it comes to exercising – “The hardest part is tying your shoes.” What she means it the hardest part about working out is putting on your shoes and making the DECISION to do it.
So many things in life are all about “baby steps”… blogging, marketing, exercising – heck LIFE!
Getting fit isn’t the result of one trip to the gym. Blogging success requires more than a few posts. As Alexa points out, marketing success requires regular activities as well.
Guess that’s why Nike’s ad campaign “Just Do It” resonates so deeply!
Tim | Mar 10, 2009 | Reply
I think you really hit all the right buttons with this one.I spent so much of my time just feeling sorry for myself. I am a hard working guy. And making money in this econonmy is geting harder. Yet, I see what you are saying. Just a little perspective in daily life makes the rest of the world,perhaps, seem less choatic.
Monika | Mar 10, 2009 | Reply
@ Tim: to my blog. It’s nice to have you here. I understand what you mean. Sometimes we seem to get so overwhelmed by our own misery that we think we are the only ones experiencing a negative downturn. But let me assure you that you are not alone; I do this too at times and then catch myself after a day or two. In the end it is good when we can see what this does to us and change our attitude.