The Key to Defeating Procrastination
Procrastination is something we all deal with but it’s an action that is really misunderstood. In this episode of Coach Yay-Dan, I will break down why we procrastinate and what we can do about it!
We've all been there; that thing, we don't want to do. For me, I procrastinate anything having to do with customer service on the phone. I loathe having to deal with customer service on the phone. You call and the recording says, press one for English. Para Español marque numero dos. I don’t speak Spanish. I memorized by rote because I’ve heard it so many times. I used to make bubbles at kid’s parties and perform sometimes for Spanish speakers. So I also know sientate (sit down) and sopla (blow).
Getting back to why I stall when it comes to making customer service phone calls. That hold music. It makes the hair on my neck stand up. What I really hate is when you’re on hold with music and then they pop in to make a company announcement; annoying music is playing and all of a sudden you hear,
"Did you know you can take care of all your needs online?” I automatically think to myself, "I don’t want to be holding on this call!”
If I could take care of my problem in three seconds online, I would have elected to do so.
AS IF I AM SO LAZY, THAT I HAVEN’T TRIED TAKING CARE OF MY ISSUE ONLINE.
AS IF I AM SO LONELY, I AM CALLING TO MAKE A LOVE CONNECTION WITH SUZIE AT THE CALL CENTER IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.
Here are the things that drives me into action! It's not WILL POWER. It’s actually the excitement of what is waiting on the other end or the fear of NOT taking action. Every so often the fear is big which causes us to undertake the action we don’t want to take. Actually, that’s pretty much how life works.
The first thing I would like to break down, is how achievement works.
THOUGHTS. EMOTIONS. ACTIONS. RESULTS.
Those four words are literal in every area of your life, every area.
You know the television show, Crazy Ex-girlfriend? (I use a lot of pop culture references because I love TV.) Well, the show is about a lawyer based in New York. She’s successful beautiful, a little nerdy woman who is completely obsessed with her ex-boyfriend a guy she met in high school at summer camp. In her eyes, he’s so dreamy. In the show she’s 30 and she has a dream of being with him. The dream inspires feelings of hope and love. So she moves across the country to be near him. Boom! Result, she ends up in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
How about this one…
A college student who establishes a goal to complete college and represent the first in her class. Why? Because her mother works hard to put her through school and she thinks about her mother which motivates her feelings of love towards her mom. So she completes her paper instead of attending a party. She gets an A.
Have you ever experienced this?
You do not want to go to work. You’re tired, but you have to pay the bills, your kid needs new clothes and you think about your kid not having new clothes. You get tightness in your heart. That emotion pulls you to work. Again thought, emotion, action, results.
Another situation many people encounter: Why don't we have more money? Aren’t we already taking action? It’s not a matter of not recognizing what to do . It's not a new plan you can hammer into place. We don’t need an action plan to pay off credit card debt. Look at your debt and pay it. It’s simple. We all know how to pay off credit card debt. If you don’t know, you can literally google, "best way to pay off credit card debt.” We all know, we could cut out that daily Starbucks. We all know, we should cut spending, or acquire new skills to be more valuable or start ‘that’ business you’ve been thinking about.
We don’t carry out these things. Why? Sometimes there is not enough emotional momentum to trigger an action.
What the world would prefer you to believe and announce to yourself is:
I’M NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH.
USE SOME WILL POWER.
UTILIZE THE STRENGTH OF YOUR MIND.
There are times we all experience things we don’t want to do. This idea or narrative of, YOU ARE NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH is a LOAD OF CRAP.
The reason you are not succeeding in the results you want is because there is not enough EMOTIONAL MOMENTUM for whatever the result you desire. If you want to make more money but can’t seem to, either you don't identify a clear doable path or you have limiting beliefs or negative habitual self-talk. Both cause you to feel like the results are not actually possible. Or, you take on someone else's idea of what you should have. What do I mean by that? If you value family and family is everything to you, and someone advises you, “You’re going to be a CEO. You want to be a CEO! You are going to be a CEO! You will be a CEO.” Hell no, that goal of CEO is not in alignment with your core value. Naturally you are not going be motivated to take action. However, if your primary value is family and someone says to you, “Wouldn’t you like to make more money so your kids can go to college? Or wouldn't you like to make more money so you can take care of your mom in her old age?” You might take action.
If you have not already, visit my site AIDANPARK.COM
Click on the GET YAY page and get your free values assessment.
It’ll tell you in 10 minutes what is actually important to you.
Explore:
WHO ARE YOU
WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU
WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOU LIFE
WHAT DO YOU VALUE?
Allow yourself to lean in the direction of your values so that you may live a life that is important to you; a life that matters, to you!
The bottom line is, in order to initiate consistent action you must feel enough fear to drive yourself into action which sometimes works. Or feel enough excitement to inspire yourself into action. I wouldn’t necessarily keep using fear to drive yourself into action. It may work, but it makes your life miserable.
For example, if you’re a student and you have homework, you don't say to yourself, “I need to do my homework or I will fail.” You might want to follow this path instead, “Doing this assignment will get me the life that I have dreamed of.” Forcing yourself to complete anything using will power is not sustainable. Generate an image of what you want to accomplish and inspire yourself. What inspires you? Connect those things to what you want to accomplish. Okay?
That my friends is how you live happily and joyfully!
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT BEING HAPPY (BLOG POST)
FIND OUT ABOUT WHAT YOUR VALUES ARE? (GET YAY)
GET A COPY OF MY BOOK
