Part of you wants to act… Part of you is sitting on the couch. What do you do when procrastination strikes? If you had never procrastinated, what would you have committed and then acted on? What would be different in your life, RIGHT NOW?
- Get clear in your own mind what procrastination is costing you. What does sitting there, not acting, mean you don't get to have in your life? Does it cost you love? Happiness? The discovery of your courage?
- Identify what it is you fear might happen or not happen through action. Most people procrastinate because of something they fear if they were to act. This fear can be real or imagined, and it's usually imagined! Think about this… we do more to avoid pain than we will to feel pleasure. We are pain avoiders, so if we perceive pain – read, fear – around acting, we won't.
- Once you've identified what you fear, ask yourself – Who do I need to be to act anyway? This will give you the opportunity to have resources that are within you right now turn up and assist you to ACT!
- Once you've noticed who you need to be, ask yourself – What would prevent me being that person, right now? This is the key to overcoming procrastination. If you answer “fear of failure”, then this is the real reason you're not acting.
- Acknowledge yourself for wanting to keep you safe from harm. Most people beat themselves up (metaphorically) when they realise they are simply responding to fear. How about instead of following the pack, you tell yourself it's okay to be a little afraid… as long as the fear doesn't rule my life and I Rule My Life.
- List all the reasons you MUST act… right now . What would be the biggest benefits to you of taking immediate action? What would change in your life? What would improve? What would you no longer be tolerating? What would you see in your life that until now hasn't been there?
- How would this feel? What would you tell yourself?
Make the saying: If You Can't… You MUST! your new saying. - Ask yourself: What is one thing I could do, right now, that would show me I am willing to act? And then do that one thing… right now!
- Replace fear with curiosity… “I am curious to know how this might turn out,” is far more empowering than “What if I fail?”
- Celebrate each step you take along the way. Your mind is like a five year old child that wants to please you… give it enough strokes and it will keep you moving forward!
Bonus tip! Give yourself a big enough compelling reason why you would act, and how you will act will take care of itself. Imagine an area of your life or business where you are choosing to procrastinate, give yourself a moment to remind yourself of why you haven't acted, and now imagine this: Someone will take everything from you in one hour if you don't act! Now do you think you would find the courage, tenacity, will power, desire, willingness… whatever it is for you… to take massive and decisive action? This is called leverage. Get enough leverage and anything is possible!
Each time you notice the strategy of procrastination show up, follow these steps and notice the difference in your life. Successful people use these techniques to compel them to act. Decision, Commitment, Action is a MUST for them.
Gameplan Coach
(extract from The Coaching Institute)
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