Practically everyone has a dream or two. Dreams of being financially free. Dreams of starting a business and being your own boss. Dreams of traveling the world. Dreams of working in a career that makes us happy and fits within our passion. However not everyone will take the necessary steps to realize those dreams. Many may begin but few finish.
The number one reason many do not realize their dreams is because they procrastinate. Taking action to achieve their goals is overwhelming. Therefore, they choose to do something other than take action toward accomplishing their goals. They will do ANYTHING other than the one, two or three steps that are necessary to put their dreams into action.
What is procrastination?
Webster defines procrastination as the act of habitually and intentionally putting things off. I define procrastination as a dream buster, deal breaker, a ticket to failure.
What’s behind procrastination?
I sum it up in one word: FEAR!! Fear of change. Fear of hard work. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Just plain fear. Continuous, habitual and intentional procrastination leads to a mundane life. A life filled with ordinary. A life lacking spectacular.
How do you beat procrastination?
There is only one cure to procrastination: ACTION!! Taking action toward realizing a goal or a dream beats procrastination and ultimately beats all of the fears that lie behind procrastination. Below are actions you can take right now to help beat procrastination.
1. Communicate your goals and dreams. Dont withhold them. Tell others what you are looking to achieve. Sharing and communicating your objectives places your expectations into the universe and makes room for them to return to you by way of success. Keeping them to yourself creates an internal collection of things which ultimately results in overwhelm. Get it out in order to get it done!
2. Get an accountability partner and check in with them frequently to ensure you are on track. An accountability partner is someone who cares about your success. They agree to check in and make certain you have taken the actions you have committed to. They will ask you the hard questions and will not let you off the hook. An accountability partner can come in many forms. They can be a professional coach, a close friend, a spouse, a parent or another family member. Get honest and be accountable.
3. Prepare a vision board and keep it in front of you. Humans are visual beings. If they can see it, they can achieve it. A vision board should hold pictures of your dream. It also serves as a constant reminder of what you are desiring to achieve. The visions serve as a call to action and motivation to get it done! See it so you can achieve it!
4. Establish a plan with details on how you will achieve your goals. A well thought out plan with details helps to break, what may seem like, a huge step down into small actions. The smaller the actions, the more likely you are to complete them. Break it down and roll it out.
5. Take action every single day. Commit yourself to taking one small action toward achieving your goal every day. Before you know it, your dream is realized and your goals are achieved. My mentor, John Maxwell, says he can look at your daily calendar and task list and determine if you will be successfull. If you take no action, you will not achieve. As Nike says, Just do it! And as i say, just do it every day!!
6. Publically commit to an action. Telling others you are going to do something specific by a certain date creates automatic accountability. Most people do not want to disappoint others. Committing publically forces them to keep their word. Do what you say and say what you do!
Beat procrastination every day by taking action! Kill the fear!!
