Procrastination sucks. It stops you from getting ahead and being brilliant in life. What do you do when it kicks-in?
– Cry? – Punch the wall? – Punch yourself?!
Often it’s so discrete, you don’t even notice it’s here. That is until you’ve frittered away 2/3 day dreaming, and scrolling down Facebook.
It’s a silent assassin, whispering down your ear, quietly influencing you
It’s good, and you listen.
It creeps in to sabotage very important things: a creative deadline, your personal transformation, your healing. Anything that (if you complete) puts you at risk of being brighter, richer, wealthier, more successful.
Imagine life without procrastination
Who would you be by now? A famous author? A self-made entrepreneur? Travelling the world with your laptop?
A world without resistance. Would it be easier?
I’m not convinced it would, and I’ll tell you why. Procrastination or resistance (same thing) is actually protecting you. It’s a sign that you’re advancing in life. The more resistance, the bigger the breakthrough. Loads of resistance = quantum leap.
If we didn’t have resistance, we wouldn’t be growing. We’d get bored, restless. Life would be too easy. And we wouldn’t be learning about ourselves, or have incentive to make things better. Honestly.
Resistance is actually an incredible sign
It’s guiding you towards the gold. It’s a big arrow pointing you to the treasure. So follow the resistance and invite it to be here. Invite it along for the ride.
For me, the closer to my deadline, the more the resistance I felt. It tested me. How committed was I to finishing my book? How devoted was I to getting it all done? How faithful was I to my purpose? It became extra-tough to cross the finish-line. I needed a strong magnet to pull me across the line. It tested me to my limits and yet I did it.
Here’s how I kept going:
1. Celebrated it. How does procrastination / resistance appear to you? I had a stronger desire to do washing or cleaning than to sit down and write. Recognise it’s presence and acknowledge it’s here. Say out loud: “I honour my resistance, or I celebrate my resistance”. Whichever makes sense to you. Anything that invites it to be here more than it is.
2. Talked to it. I had a desk mirror next to my laptop. It reminded me to face myself and my resistance, and cheer myself on whenever I felt any blocks in the way, or fear creeping in. I kept talking to myself, telling myself how great I was doing, and how close I was to each timeline / milestone. Something about hearing this from you is so encouraging, and keeps you going especially when it’s tough.
3. Tapped on it. Tapping is my favourite tool to breakthrough resistance. It’s great at addressing the feeling of being stuck, or the urge to run away from doing what you need to do. A simple variation of tapping is to bunch one hand into a fist, and start tapping on the V of your collarbone, as if you’re gently knocking on a door. It’s good at snapping you out of your day dreams.
Keep going!
