Refuse to be procrastinating

I have recently devoured the book 48 Days to the Work You Love and started listening to the weekly podcast of the same name featuring author and career coach Dan Miller.

I started with the most recent show and started working backwards, and about midway through his Jan. 8 show Miller addressed the subject of procrastination, which regular visitors know is one of my worst habits.

It was a slap upside the head when Dan said:

If you find yourself going weeks and weeks and months and years and never acting, something else is going on. I mean, procrastinating is just another expression of fear, whether it’s fear of failure, fear of ridicule of family members and friends, whatever it is that’s holding you back — procrastination is not an admirable kind of trait. You need to break through that.

I saw — well, this is rather crude, actually, but bear with me, just in making a point — I saw recently a note relative to this that called it procrasturbation. Now again, I apologize for the crudeness of that but you get the point. Just being involved in activity that has no useful outcome — don’t get caught up in that; move through that. Take a idea that you know is good, and then go through a clear plan of action so you do get results on it.

This doesn’t have anything to do with circumstances, it doesn’t have to do with being too busy. It’s a personal issue. You can break that logjam and move into things that really are meaningful.

"Procrastinating is just another expression of fear." Hard words to hear for a guy who preaches and is writing a book on the subject "Refuse to be afraid." But he's right!

For me Dan's book is one of those "whoa!" motivational books that gets me off the dime and back in action. I'm thinking you ought to be noticing some results in, well, within 48 days.