Does a magic bullet exist? Have you ever invested in something that promised you a quick result only to find out there is no such thing? It is human nature to be motivated by instant gratification, something that promises us that there won’t be much pain and the rewards will be big, they will come fast and easily to us. Realistically deep down inside we all know there is not such thing. It’s a nice fantasy to have, but that’s all that it is, a fantasy.
That is why I decided to put this right at the beginning of this program, so that we discuss it early, deal with it and move onto doing the things you need to do that will help you find your personal solution to overcome procrastination. So why do we procrastinate? The 10 reasons why we do will be unpacked in the upcoming steps and the actions to overcome them and banish them from you life will follow. The first reason we procrastinate is because we are looking for a quick fix to our problems.
We wait and wait and wait because it all seems too hard, it will take too long, you will need to stretch and move beyond your comfort zone. That is scary! I can’t do that. It’s not for me. I am not passionate about that. I’ve heard these statements hundreds time over.
Why do we believe a magic bullet exists out there, but fail to believe in ourselves?
Our belief system will drive our ability to make something happen or keep us stuck in one spot for a long time. If you believe something is possible it is, if you don’t you will also be right.
It is time to switch your belief system when it comes to the magic bullet solution. It’s time to banish this belief now and forever and install a brand new belief that you can achieve whatever goal you set for yourself. You can do this in three different ways:
- Write out the belief you want to banish on a piece of paper – squash it and throw it out.
- Write out the belief you want to banish on a piece of paper and burn it in your kitchen sink.
- Complete a Belief Change NLP Session with a coach where they will assist you in creating a belief change.
Once you have banished the belief that doesn’t serve you, it’s time to create a brand new belief that will propel you forward in your life. This could be something like:
I achieve all the goals that I set for myself
I have everything within me to handle my challenges
I am committed to myself and my success 100%
In other words these are also called affirmations. They are super powerful in changing your future and the way you see yourself. Affirmations should always be statements that you do not yet match in your behavior. They are used as a tool to re-program your subconscious mind to create a compelling future for yourself.
When I started out in business 2 years and 10 months ago (at the time of writing this program) I was full of doubt, beliefs that did not serve me and gaps in my knowledge of how to be a successful business owner. I learnt from a mentor of mine the power of statements that will become reality the more I repeated them and took action towards making them a reality. For a long time nothing much changed. I had plastered my statements within my shower on a laminated piece of paper so that I can read them each time I had a shower. There I was, having a shower, brushing my teeth and reading my affirmations. Consistently, every morning this was part of the day routine. I read, read and read. I had things like:
I am a master of business
I am a master of language and communication
I can work from anywhere in the world
I am always patient and present to my children and their needs
I am a master at sales and marketing
I am a master at influence
People will pay any price, travel any distance to work with me
I am always in the right place, at the right time, to meet the right person to create the right deal
If you like my affirmations, use them. Use some, use them all. Just do something. I adopted some of mine from some of my mentors and that’s cool. After all the quickest way to whatever success you are after is to model those that have success in that area already. In less than 18 months, I could say that those affirmations were a reality. As hard as it was to believe in the beginning that any of it will ever be true, with time, routine, action and consistency they describe my life right now. These are not just for some people, they are for all people that want to move towards their dream life and make it a reality.
If there were a Magic Bullet this is it…
Find out what motivates you! It’s as easy as that. Let’s first look at the difference between motivation and inspiration.
Inspiration is an external process, whereby you are mentally stimulated to do or feel something. Other people can inspire you which is really fantastic, although very short lived. It may last a few minutes, hours, days at the most a few weeks. I highly recommend going to inspirational seminars to learn, grow and be inspired. This is not the way to cure procrastination!
Motivation is an internal process, whereby the individual has a reason/s for acting or behaving in a particular way. Others cannot motivate you as they don’t know what’s important to you. You are the only one that knows that and in the next step we will unlock it via the exercises I have outlined for you to complete. One thing I want you to remember is that: If it’s important to you, you won’t need motivation.
Now think about the areas you are stuck in and procrastinating. Is taking action in this area important to you? Really think about this. Ask yourself these questions:
- If I did act what would happen?
- If I didn’t act what would happen?
- If I did act what wouldn’t happen?
- If I didn’t act what wouldn’t happen?
In coaching we call these the Cartesian questions. They are not meant to be easy to answer. Think on them and come up with at least 5 answers for each. They are great to use also when you are stuck on making a decision on something. Very powerful and profound as to what you will arrive at by answering them.
Other things I’d like you to notice are your feelings while you are answering the questions. Do you care about answering them or are you just going through the motions? Feelings of passion, wanting to answer them thoroughly will reveal you care about that area in your life and it is important to you. Feelings that you don’t really care and you only arrive at a few half fast answers reveal that you are not really motivated by that area in your life. The cure to procrastination lies within you discovering what motivates you. That’s it, if you can find that, then you don’t need to keep reading.
Love Nat x
