What are you waiting for? You have plans and aspirations that youÔÇÖve been putting off for years. WeÔÇÖre great at putting things off and convincing ourselves that weÔÇÖll get them done someday soon. Eventually, we all run out of somedays and our options become more limited. If youÔÇÖre not enthusiastically pursuing your goals, thereÔÇÖs a reason. And it might not be the reason you think.
Most excuses are actually a form of fear camouflaged as another challenge.
Identify your excuses and take action today:
1. A perceived lack of resources. Perhaps you need additional knowledge, education, money, or time. This is the most common excuse for not taking action. These excuses might be accurate. You might not have enough time. However, itÔÇÖs up to you to make the time. ItÔÇÖs up to you to find the money you need.
- A lack of resources canÔÇÖt stop you if youÔÇÖre determined. Using the lack of resources as an excuse suggests another underlying issue.
- Find a way around your lack of resources. ThereÔÇÖs a solution available to you right now if you want to find it.
2. Your belief that youÔÇÖll fail. Maybe youÔÇÖre not afraid of failing, but you anticipate failure. No one would waste their time taking action if they expected a negative outcome. Use every tool at your disposal to change your belief. Try using logic or convince yourself that youÔÇÖll give it a try anyway. Meditation, self-hypnosis, and visualization are other possible options.
- Get expert advice or consider changing your objective to one thatÔÇÖs more believable.
3. Fear. The is the most accurate answer most of the time. Doing something significant involves change, both the change that results from success and the chance necessary to create success.
- The most effective way to combat fear is to jump in with both feet. The apprehension that results from thinking about taking the first step is more severe than the apprehension that accompanies real action. Once you get started, the fear subsides considerably.
- Fear has been around since the beginning of man. ItÔÇÖs not going away, so itÔÇÖs important to build your ability to manage it.
4. A lack of motivation. Why arenÔÇÖt you motivated? Is it due to fear or something else? A little success can create motivation. Starting a diet can be challenging, but your motivation grows after youÔÇÖve successfully lost 10 pounds.
- The solution to a lack of motivation is the same as the solution to fear: take the leap. Get started and hang in there until youÔÇÖve experienced some success. At that point, youÔÇÖll find that your lack of motivation is no longer an issue.
5. The need for perfection. This could be the need to have ideal conditions before getting started or the need to accomplish your goal without experiencing any failure along the way. Perfectionism is just another manifestation of fear masquerading as a socially acceptable excuse.
- There is no failure, provided you donÔÇÖt give up. Expect that things wonÔÇÖt work out 100% according to plan. Accept this fact and move ahead.
- Take action. Taking action is the best way to reduce your fear. You donÔÇÖt need to be perfect. You only need to be ÔÇ£good enough.ÔÇØ
If youÔÇÖve been finding reasons to put off your plans to some unidentified point in the future, itÔÇÖs time to examine the reasons. Fear is the biggest reason for chronic procrastination. ItÔÇÖs your responsibility to determine why youÔÇÖve been waiting. By finding an explanation, you can begin to take motivated action and see your dreams come true.
