How to Overcome Procrastination

By Maureen P Price on 26/02/2015 in Business, Personal development

Are you feeling trapped, wanting to quit your job and become an online entrepreneur, but are being held back by procrastination?

You’re working to pay your rent or mortgage, put food on the table and buy some nice clothes, but you’re not feeling fulfilled.

Deep down inside, you want to escape. You want to be free.

You want to explore the world and watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Photo: Maureen Price. Sunrise over Angkor Wat

You want to scuba dive on pristine coral reefs, drink a cocktail at sunset on the beach, eat exotic food in exotic locations and enjoy conversations about life and love with fellow travellers.

Photo: Maureen Price. Turtle on a dive.

You want to swim in the crystal clear blue ocean and walk barefoot on the beach.

You want to dance in the moonlight and feel the joy of movement.

You want to quit your job and try new things.

If you’re waking up every morning not wanting to get out of bed, feeling tired and dreading your day, that is not a life.

If you’re in a job, where a little piece of you dies everyday, that is not a life.

If you’re doing something that’s not in alignment with who you believe you truly are, that is not a life.

If you are an entrepreneur living the life of an employee, it’s painful. I know because I’ve been there.

Your Mind

Your mind can prevent you from having what you really want in life. You say you want a business, but then you notice your mind sabotage you at the same time.

You think that person is smarter than you, has more money than you, has more technical expertise than you.

You need to be willing to let your excuses and obstacles fall away.

Every one of your goals and desires are like waves of energy, trapped in layers of procrastination that prevent you from manifesting them.

The Vicious Cycle of Perfectionism and Procrastination

Do you want everything to be perfect before you take the leap into entrepreneurship? You’re probably thinking being a perfectionist is a good thing. Well I can tell you that it’s not.

When you get trapped in the vicious cycle of perfectionism, your confidence and productivity are destroyed.

Perfectionists put off doing things because they fear being unable to do things perfectly. They fear criticism from others if what they do is not perfect.

The more they fear criticism and failure, the more perfectionists procrastinate. I know because I used to be one of them.

Fear of criticism and failure stems from childhood programming when you were punished for making mistakes by parents, teachers and significant others.

I remember when I was 6 years old. I failed 1st class and the teachers wanted me to repeat. My mother did not want me to repeat and convinced the head nun that she would help me with my homework, if I went up to second class. I went up to second class because the head nun could not argue successfully with my mother.

Mum helped me with my homework every afternoon and belted me every time I made a mistake. I don’t want to disparage my mother because she did want me to succeed. She was doing what she believed was the right thing to do. However, she really did belt the shit out of me. Years later, she asked me to forgive her, saying she had made a terrible mistake, and I forgave her.

Perfectionism and Procrastination Are Enemies

Perfectionism and procrastination are the enemies of creativity, productivity and success.

The dysfunctional thinking of perfectionism causes discouragement, self-doubt and mental exhaustion. Procrastination causes stress and insomnia.

You do not have to be perfect.

And everything does not have to be perfect for you to become an online entrepreneur.

Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order.

-Anne Wilson Schaef

The best advice I can give you is to get started on your plan to become an online entrepreneur today by following these 7 steps.

#1 Make a Decision

Make a decision about what you want and why you want it. If you want to be rich, why do you want to be rich?

Do you want to buy a mansion, travel the world? What do you want to contribute to make the world a better place?

Choose connection over perfection.

-Dr Julie Hanks

#2 Dream Your Vision and Take Action

Dream your vision for your life and business. See yourself taking action that is guaranteed to produce the result you want.

If you want to write a book, see people reading your book. It’s the vision of the action that needs to be taken that is powerful and compelling.

#3 Who Do You Need to Be to Get the Results You Want?

How will you move from an employee mindset to an entrepreneurial mindset? How will you make decisions on your own?

How will you develop the initiative, energy and drive to be a successful entrepreneur?

#4 What Actions Do You Need to Take to Get the Results You Want?

How much money do you need to save before you can quit your job and live for the next 12 months or more? Could you reduce your hours at work and work part time on your business?

#5 Are You Willing to Invest in Yourself?

How can you be the best version of you? What courses do you need to study to learn how to become an online entrepreneur?

Are you willing to pay for a coach? Have you allocated a budget for coaching and courses?

#6 Become Friends With Entrepreneurs

We all influence each other and if you spend time with negative, toxic and mediocre people, you will be negative, toxic and mediocre too. If you spend time with positive, generous, successful people you will be positive, generous and successful too.

Choose your friends and associates wisely.

#7 Develop Daily Success Habits and Rituals

Do you exercise in the morning? If you exercise in the morning you get the blood flowing to your brain and release endorphins that make you feel good for the rest of the day.

Exercise is a great antidote to procrastination.

Hal Elrod discusses the morning success ritual that sets your mindset and context for the quality of your day, and ultimately for the quality of your life.

Conclusion

Being an entrepreneur is the best personal development journey in the world. Become a master at acknowledging your emotions rather than fighting them.

Learn what you need to know from people who know more than you. Invest in yourself and enjoy the journey.

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