Get a Move on!

Ten of the sayings that you've said or heard someone say, related to procrastination are:

1. I (we) can do that later.

2. Hold on, we'll get to it.

3. Let's wait awhile before we start.

4. I don't know if I have time right now.

5. Do you really want to do that right now?

6. Can we start some other time?

7. I have things to do today, already.

8. I'll get to that later, because I really want to help you with that.

9. We can start on that tomorrow.

10. I know I said I would but let's work on it next time.

These statements or similar statements are what we have said to other people or what other people have said to us in the past. We have been prepped to do something, but then, life gets in the way. How many times have you promised a friend or a family member that you were going to do something with them but never do it? How many times have other people promised you that they would do something for you OR help you do something only to realize that it has not been done yet? This chapter will discuss how you get a move on.

There are things in our lives that take priority and then there are things in our lives that take a back seat. I am a firm believer that when we allow things in our lives to take a back seat, we are not allowing ourselves to live full lives. Promises broken can be mended if we take the time to do what we say that we are going to do. It is mainly about integrity. As the statement goes "A man (or a woman) is only as good as his (or her) word." With that being said, when you procrastinate, you are not only showing yourself to be dishonest with others, you are basically insinuating to yourself that you are dishonest. In other words, you are a liar to yourself.

Getting a move on means that you are interested in NOT putting things on the "back burner". That you are working on building a mindset that is abundant and filled with truth and meaningful activities that you WILL complete! I must say that writing this book has been a challenge. I knew that I wanted to write this book because I also suffered from the inability to complete what I set out to do or stated that I would do things that I really did not complete. I even went as far as telling Clergymen that I was working on specific projects and have yet to complete them. Now, how bad is THAT? I started to reevaluate myself and my life and where I wanted it to go. Do I want to be that person that was viewed as "always having something to do" or did I want to live a life where I took one project at a time and maximized the benefit of doing what I needed to do and complete the task ahead of me. I began to look at the things that I had promised people and noticed the things that I did not do. There were many times that the promises made would go unmentioned by either myself or the person that I promised that I would help. I am not sure at this point as to whether the person respected me enough or if it was a case of me forgetting that I lied to someone (there is a slight possibility that it was the fact that I didn't want to bring up the lie). There is a strange feeling that you get when you say that you are going to help someone with something and you don't do it. Especially when the person is around you. You tend to `walk on eggshells', not wanting the person to bring up the topic. Often times, you're safe because the person won't bring it up if they have brought it to your attention before (several times). The other person may then tend to believe that you are liar and that you only wanted to feed their appetite of wishful thinking for a moment and sometimes even your own appetite of exhibiting a sense of expertise in a situation that you more than likely know that you have no time to help a person out of.

So, what causes us to procrastinate so much? Is it ego? Do we want to appear a certain way in the presence of others? Or does it just feel good to tell other people that we will help them do something when in reality we know that we are not? Whatever your reason is, it is now time to get a move on and stop lying about things that you know you're not going to do.

I believe that some people procrastinate because they think that they have bitten off more than they could chew (this will be discussed a little later in this chapter but I will discuss it slightly here). They don't take the necessary steps to look at the project or activity in steps. They simply look at the activity as a whole, perseverate on the size of the project and put it off until later. If people would only understand that there are always steps to project, then the project would not seem so difficult. Take for example the concept of writing this book. I knew that I wanted to write it and I desired that the book be twelve chapters. I did not look at the book as a whole in its entirety because with the thought process that I have, I would have thought that the task would have been impossible. This would have caused me to procrastinate on the book and it more than likely would not have happened. So what I decided to do was look at the book as completing one chapter at a time. When I did this I noticed that the interesting thing about my brain was that it activated more motivation and I thought to myself, "I CAN DO THAT"!!!

I also believe that people want to be a part of something. This is not to discount their feelings about the person that they want to help but it may be that they have a desire to be a part of something to fill an emotional need. If this is the case then they may feel that the project can benefit them in some way. When they come to the conclusion that helping the other person will not assist them in this endeavor, they back away from the project. As a psychotherapist, I see this as involving the emotional aspect of a procrastinator. Where they have the tendency to want to feel a certain way about the project upon its completion. With that being said, whom did the completion of the project really benefit? Did it help you become a more helpful person so that you can realize your potential in helping others? Or did it allow you to feel that you, yourself was able to accomplish something? Remember, the project was NOT yours to begin with; you're just helping complete it! Many times, procrastinators have the wrong idea about the "project" that needs to be completed. They feel honored in some way that someone asked them to help with the project. There is nothing wrong with showing respect for the person who asked you to complete the project with them. But do you have the time to help them? Do you feel that being involved in the project will benefit you in some way? If so, what way? Are you helping the person complete the task because of the selflessness that you have inside? Or if this project goes farther than you could ever imagine, do you want to be able to say to someone, "I helped them with that"? Be sure that you are helping the person with the project and that it is NOT a selfless act on your part and that you are expecting nothing in return for the assistance that you put in.

Now, if the project is something that YOU want to complete on your own and you are procrastinating about it, it may be due to you feeling overwhelmed in other parts of your life and you may not really have time to do it right now. I suggest that with issues like this, you set a date to complete what you are already doing and then set a date for the completion of a project that you want to do yourself. There is no possible way that a project can be completed if you don't invest the time in it to complete it. You have to stay the course!

Stop taking on more than you can handle

Many of us have a tendency to take on more that we can handle. We like projects! It's just in some of our general DNA. One of the most important things about taking on more than you can handle is the fact that, YOU CAN'T HANDLE ALL OF THAT! Projects sound good when you're talking about them but when it comes to the work, and the everyday hustle and bustle of life, we find ourselves in a crunch. We then start looking for more hours in a day. I would like to bring your attention to one simple fact that I have learned in my life the hard way: There are ONLY 24 hours in a day! With this being said, you have to understand your schedule and learn how to MAXIMIZE your time. Think of it this way; we all know what we are usually going to do in a given day. This is because most people live their lives through a routine. With this in mind, we KNOW that the things that we do get accomplished are the things that we consider to be priorities. A priority is something that you give attention to. That means that you invest time, effort, and sometimes money in it. So if you know that you want to do a project of your own, in order to get a move on, make it a priority! This is when you think about the circumstance as something that HAS to be done; NO QUESTIONS ASKED! Priorities often times take precedence over many major things that are going on within our lives. We do not allow any circumstances to get in the way of our priorities.

What's it to you?

Many individuals have things that they want to accomplish such as start school, start a business alone or go into business with someone, be a part of an organization within the local area or even start an organization on their own. But often times we have a tendency to want things that are not important to us at the time. It is one thing to want something BUT it is a totally different thing to go after what you want. The mindset of an individual who actually wants something bad enough is different from someone who thinks about and procrastinates on "projects". A person must learn to evaluate their current circumstances (truthfully and without any BULL!) and determine what is important to them. Think about the project that you want to start. Why do you want to do it? Why is it important that you do it? Who do you want to impact with this project and why? Is it to fill a personal need or do you have a desire to help others? If you have a desire to help, what population within society do you want to help with this project and why? What are you risking when you put this project in motion and how heavy are the risks? Remember, it is very important to be real and honest with yourself, otherwise you have no ability to be honest with others.

Imagine having an issue with your health that can be easily taken care of, if you take the right combination of medication. I know many people in my life who would go without paying a bill in order to make sure that their health is in proper order. This is because their life is at stake. The same mindset that a person has in order to live is the same mindset that a person should possess when they are embarking on the journey to complete a new project. Notice that I stated, "complete". It is important to finish what you've started because it builds your self-esteem and creates an ability to complete other projects that you have in mind. This is especially powerful if you are working in the realm of your gifts. The Bible mentions that, "a man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men" (Proverbs 18:16). With this being said, if you are operating in your gifts, you will be very good at what you do and your "projects" will come to you effortlessly. This doesn't mean that, getting to your "projects" won't have any minor or major setbacks; but going through the with the "project" while operating in your gift will be no problem for you. It WILL be completed!

It is also important to be self-aware. Being aware of yourself and understanding your own capabilities allows for you to see into yourself and bring even more greatness out of you. You have the ability to create anything that you want to. Humans are great creatures with infinite potential and power and you have the ability to exhibit that greatness and power wherever you go. Besides, we are at the top of the food chain. That HAS to stand for something, right?

Take Your Mind to Court:

Many of us know that we have the ability to carry out things that we want but many times it is fear that gets in the way of being able to prosper and succeed. Fear is that nagging impression that is in many of us that causes us to doubt ourselves. We fall victim to our fears time and time again. I use to do the same thing until I realized that I was crazy enough to fight myself! When fear crept into my mind, I began to battle it. I would ask myself the following question: Can you prove beyond a reasonable doubt that what you're thinking right now is true and real? Not just to you, but to any average "reasonable person".

If you are familiar in any way with shows on television about the court system as well as the court system in real life, you will understand this concept. When an individual is in court and attempting to prove their innocence, they have to allow their attorney the opportunity to prove that what the client did in the situation was something that any "reasonable person" would do. Take for instance a self-defense case. The attorney for the defense has to "prove beyond a reasonable doubt" that their client has acted reasonably in the situation that was presented to them at the time. You must do the same thing in your mind when you become fearful of certain things. You must ask yourself:

1. Is what I'm thinking valid?

2. What would another reasonable person do in this situation?

3. Do I really have a fear and how can my fear be eliminated?

4. Do I feel that my potential is real and if it is, what is preventing me from putting it to work?

5. What will other people think about me when I reach my potential?

6. Will I still be loved when I reach my full potential? And

7. How will others be affected with me reaching my full potential?

A lot of our fears stem from how we will be accepted when our family members and friends see that we are moving to our next level. One of the most important things in this regard is being able to be validated by the people whom you surround yourself with. Individuals who are truly in your corner have no negative concern about what you do, they are only concerned about being your friend, so don't get caught up in a false sense of thinking that your friends will be upset with your new success. If they are your real friends, they will compliment you and encourage you to go even farther. Often times we trap ourselves in this "mental world wind" where we have these false thoughts of ourselves and many of our loved ones around us, but being able to ask yourself the questions that I mentioned before allows you to actually determine whether what you're thinking is true or false. Your mind, your thoughts, your activities will all be great when you put your mind to it. So, let's get a move on!

What does this mean?

Getting a move on means that there is no need to sit around and wait for things to come to you. You have to do what is needed in order to make life happen in a good way for yourself. We can work hard in order to make things happen. Life doesn't just happen; we make it happen. We determine our destiny by the way that we live our lives. The life choices that we make determine our outcomes. Think of the time that you spend on making certain things happen for you. You make time for your children, for your fun, for your shopping, etc. And those are things that you should do in order to enjoy the small pleasures of life. But when are you going to make time to make a mark in the world for yourself? You have the gifts within you to make a mark on this world that no one else can do. Your ideas are given to you in order to assist you and others live an efficient and abundant life. You were specifically born in order to create, define, redefine, and establish marks on this world that only you can do. A person who procrastinates is nothing more than a person who is lazy and has no desire to change their lives. When you really want to change your life, it's not a must anymore; it becomes an OBLIGATION! I encourage you to get a move on!