Procrastination: It's A Mind Thing

I am a procrastinator.  I said this all the time and freely used it as an excuse to myself for why only eight out of 15 tasks on my daily To Do lists got done.  I procrastinate - it was my mantra.  I owned it totally.  It was me.  And I felt bad about undone tasks.  I felt like an underachiever.

Then one day, I started to think....why am I a procrastinator?  Was the root the traditional reasons experts give (you know - fear, lack of focus, task so big you don't know where to begin so you don't, poor time management skills, TV)?  But, I had tried the experts' traditional fixes for these, but they didn't work for long. So was the root something else? 

Some words I read years ago began to echo in my head:

The Joke's on Me

I read The Purpose Driven® Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren a couple of years ago. I am writing about it here because, while the whole book was excellent, one chapter had, and still has, a profound effect on me, shaping my thinking and actions.

Chapter 2 is called "You Are Not An Accident".  At the end of the chapter, the reader is given this question to consider the following question: "I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?"  Well, I no problem whatsoever with that question!!  This is what I wrote:

Words of Wisdom

The other day I was thinking (yes, I still think) about some of the "words of wisdom" I have read or heard that I find continuously and positively influence me.  I remember these things when the road in my life gets rocky and when situations don't work out the way I thought.  I really lean on them when I start to second guess myself and feel I should "conform to the norm" and not do what's right for me. 

I don't remember where I read or heard all of these "words of wisdom".  But for the ones I do, I will let you know. Here goes:

• "Why do you think other people know better than you what is best for you and your family?"
• "You need to graduate from MSU- University of Making Stuff Up."   Play to Win!, Larry Wilson
• "I am not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be; I'm OK, and I'm on my way!"  How to Succeed at Being Yourself, Joyce Meyer
• "To be successful, double your failure rate" Darren Hardy, Publisher, SUCCESS magazine
• "If you buy someone else's opinion, you buy their livestyle." Orin Solomon, SVP, ACN
• "No one has the right to define you but you!"  Steadman Graham
• "....Faith without works is dead." The Bible, James 2:26 (NKJV)
• "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose."  The Bible, Romans 8:28 (NKJV) 
• "One reason we don't attain our goals is we often focus on how far we are from feeling satisfaction, rather than on how far we have already come."  Fred Pryor

I am learning that after others pass judgment on my life, they leave and don't look back.  I am the one left with me and the consequences of any decisions I make.  Therefore, I must to remain true to me.  I have written these "words of wisdom" and lots of others in my daily planner.  That way, they are always with me and keep me going forward.