Procrastination is a big inhibitor of success for many people. In fact, I have procrastinated writing this post for all of you. I knew I wanted to write it, yet I didn’t do it in the time I wanted to. Why? There are a few reasons I can think of, thanks to the training I’ve received as a personal transformation coach. Gratefully, I have found a way to laugh at myself when I reflect on my own behaviors.
One reason for procrastination that we all tell ourselves is that we simply don’t have the motivation. That is a big lie. Lack of motivation is actually the symptom of the first real culprit. In this instance, it isn’t motivation we need, rather we need a bigger “why”. You see, motivation is short-lived and requires getting pumped up, excited, and driven to do whatever the thing is. Unfortunately, even if we find the motivation to do the thing, we then have to re-motivate ourselves to take the next step, and the next, and the next. Often times, the required task doesn’t fit well with our values, or our values are misaligned with who we really want to become. When we find a bigger “why” it becomes easy to do what is necessary. When your “why” is big enough, you now have energy from a passionate interest. When your “why” and your values are aligned there is nothing that will stop you from completing even the most mundane tasks.
The second reason for procrastination might be a bit surprising: the fear of success. Yes, you read that correctly! Many of us aspire to succeed, but subconsciously we might actually fear being successful. This one ties back to that whole self-worth thing. Cue in Imposter Syndrome. So many of us have dreams of being, doing, and having more, but if the self-work required to become the person who is “worthy” of the dream has not been done our subconscious will create all those icky feelings of being a fake. Stepping into that role without doing the work and knowing your worth will feel uncomfortable, as though you don’t belong. Our subconscious brain has a big job; to protect us. In this day and age, it no longer needs to protect us from big scary things like saber-toothed tigers (thank goodness), but it does protect us from stepping out of our comfort zone… even if that means protecting us from things, even really good things, that feel unfamiliar. It also triggers the fear of being judged, and possibly rejected by those close to us. Upgrade your peer group to one that is supportive of all your successes, big and small, and watch that fear of success dissipate into the ether.
The third, and likely most common culprit of procrastination is the fear of failure. Again, our subconscious brain is designed to protect us, and if a task has a 50% chance of success and a 50% chance of failure it is going to come up with all kinds of reasons why we shouldn’t do the task in every attempt to avoid any possibility of failure. Failure sparks the belief that “I’m not good enough”. I’m not sure when or why we began teaching that failure is a bad thing. Failure is a beautiful gift that allows us to learn and grow. Failure has no merit on self-worth, yet we have learned to try to avoid it at all costs, which is rather ironic considering perfection is impossible. Pencils have erasers for a reason. In fact, we are so obsessed with avoiding failure that most of us avoid starting anything new under the guise that we just need more knowledge. In our attempts to learn more we are merely seeking more certainty that success will be a guarantee. Focus on self-mastery, then apply knowledge-mastery. The only certainty in life is that nothing is certain.
So where did my procrastination fall? Primarily, in fear of failure. Fear that I didn’t have enough knowledge, or that my writing wouldn’t be inspiring or valuable enough. Thankfully, I’ve done enough of my own self-mastery to become aware of the subconscious fears and how to grow beyond them. What are you procrastinating on that you know you should be giving your time and attention to? Allow yourself to sit with the question. Ask yourself “What is the worst that could happen?'“, and when you get an answer, ask that question again. Allow yourself to go deep, even if it feels scary. I promise, it isn’t as scary as remaining stagnant in an unfulfilling life.
Lastly, give yourself a little bit of grace. Allow yourself to not judge you or your behaviors for a change. Life happens one moment at a time. Growth happens one awareness at a time. Start asking better questions and find your big “why”. You are worth it!
If you are ready to dive into your own self-mastery, I invite you to click here for more information about upgrading your peer group with the Elite Mentorship Forum and to schedule a call with me.
Light and Love
~Meghan