Take Action Don’t Procrastinate
Author: Byron Pulsifer © 2007
Sometimes, due to unforeseen tough times, we get discouraged and don’t achieve our goals. As hard as it may seem, don’t procrastinate in taking renewed action to reach your goals.
What Does It Look Like
So, what does procrastination really look like? Here is an example to consider.
There seems to me to be an unwritten art form that is fixed in procrastination. It is an art form because there are some people who have taken it to some of the deadliest heights known to man. I know you may think that this may be tongue in cheek, but, I can assure you it is very real.
There was a need, or a want for a new position; a position that would reward not only with a much higher salary but greater visibility and recognition. The person seeking this position felt that they were left out of the promotion cycle every time a competition was announced for a senior position.
However, this particular person knew that they had to complete extra studies in order to be considered for any further advancement. How did they know this? They were told several times that advanced courses were required to seek promotion beyond their current position by their supervisor during their yearly performance review meeting. In fact, the course or courses required were spelled out clearly so there was no doubt what was needed.
Over the course of the next two years, and during the next two performance reviews, the same complaint was noted from the employee; they were unsuccessful in getting promoted. When asked by this person’s supervisor if they had completed the course or courses, the employee answered no. The question was why not?
Simply put the answer was comprised of several excuses; I didn’t have the money to pay for the course; I didn’t have enough time because I had other obligations. One thing appeared obvious to the supervisor; while the employee proclaimed a burning desire to be promoted, the fire died as soon as follow through action was required.
It isn’t hard to understand the excuses offered by the employee. You may have heard them before from a family member, or, in fact, you may have used these or others in your own situation.
One Thing Is For Sure
We could all say that we intend to do something but if our burning desire to accomplish something isn’t put into action, nothing happens. We can always find excuses not to do something. Every working person I know has the same amount of time; the same minutes in an hour and the same hours in a day. How is it, however, that some people can find the time to take additional courses outside of their normal working day while others cannot?
In order to accomplish a goal, in this case a course must first become a passion. If there is no passion, there is no action. On the other hand, if a passion is put into action by following the necessary steps to arrive at the end result, you can be assured that available time was found.
Did this cost the person anything beyond the course fee? Sure it did. It required dedicated time that may have been taken from evening hours of watching a favorite television program; it may have cost a friendship because you no longer would participate in what was formerly a weekly routine like bowling, pool, or attending a football or baseball game. It may have cost you time on the weekend when you would rather sit in the shade with drink in hand instead of being locked inside completely a required assignment.
Nothing can be accomplished without sacrifice. And, nothing worth doing can be completed sitting in front of the T.V. or engaging in a pleasurable social activity.
The more you put off doing the thing you need to do the longer it will take to achieve it. If we do nothing, we get nothing.
“Someday is not a day of the week.” Author Unknown
Other Examples of Procrastination
Procrastination should be seen for what it is – the thief of life. How many times have all of us put off what we really should be doing? That can very simple things including not mowing the lawn until it’s growing out of control, to working on that project to the point where we put undue pressure on ourselves when the deadline looms just around the corner.
Is Taking Action The Key?
Doing just a little bit during the time we have available puts you that much further ahead than if you took no action at all. We can spend hours, days, or even months just thinking or talking about something we need to do, but nothing happens until we take action. You will never reach your goal until you start to take action, any action.
Let’s say for example, that you want to build a new summer cottage. You’ve taken several hours to scour the Internet to find just the right plan but have been unsuccessful in finding what you really want. But, you really want to build what you envisage. You took one step towards your goal; you looked for a plan but couldn’t find one on the Internet. So, what do you do now?
Do you forget about building your cottage just because you couldn’t find the plan you wanted on the Internet? Some would. Why? To continue searching would mean that they would have to visit several bookstores to see if they had a plan book with cottage designs. If this was unsuccessful, they would want to start visiting a few builders to see if they could design one for them.
Or, at this point would you put off finding the right plan until next year when you would have more time to build it yourself? Or, you may have found the right plan but it was too expensive, so you decided to wait until you had more money saved. But, you already know where this idea could go. Each year you may have saved a bit more but the price of building went up even more. Do you wait for another year so you can save more money to build?
Or, you could take action. Redefine what the perfect cottage looks like using a definition of what you needed but on a smaller scale. Or, if you need the same scale, you could start by putting in the foundation. Then, the following year, you could put up the outside structure. The following year , you could put on the roof and close in the walls. Then, the following year you could put in windows, finish inside and build on a porch or deck. Just because you run into an obstacle doesn’t mean quitting. It means, instead, finding a solution and carrying on.
One of the best tools to push yourself beyond procrastination, especially if it is something that will require a lot of money or time, is to start by breaking your task or goal into very small pieces. And, each small piece you finish not only moves you forward but shows you that what once seemed to doom high over your head is being accomplished one step at a time.
Don’t procrastinate – start taking action right no
Inspirational Quotes for Reflection:
“Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don’t count.” Dr. Robert Anthony
“For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” Mary Kay Ash
“Bumps encountered along the road to accomplishment are simply an opportunity to fill in the holes.” Byron Pulsifer
“Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.” Denis Waitley
“Personal action is your pathway to success, even if it is a little bit at a time!” Catherine Pulsifer, Take Action
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