Saturday, July 25, 2009

The Art of Procrastination

Haven’t blogged in a while. Do I have a good reason? Yes. I’ve been perfecting the art of procrastination. I’m finding these days that it’s a fine-tuned skill that I possess. Okay, so the truth is, it’s not really a skill; it’s a way of expressing resistance.

So, why the resistance around doing something as simple and fun as writing a personal growth blog? Well, perfectionism for one. How can I post something if it isn’t perfectly articulated? I can’t write it right now because my mind isn’t quiet, well organized, clear and in “writing mode” to write a perfect piece. Geesh, when is it ever?! The only time my mind is that still is during meditation, and it seems to me that it would be counterproductive to be sitting on my meditation pillow with my laptop in hand! What is perfection anyway? We’ll save the response to that for a different blog on another day.

Fear is another hidden gem behind resistance, which is often disguised as procrastination. Fear of not being perfect. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of judgment. Fear of being criticized or ridiculed. Fear of speaking your truth and expressing your voice for the world to hear because you think your voice isn’t important or worthy of being heard. Fear of failure. Fear of being humiliated. Fear of vulnerability. Fear of risk. I could go on and on.

I think it's safe to say that none of these forms of fear are conducive to a life of joy and well-being. The definition of fear in the Merriam-Webster dictionary states: fear is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by expectation or awareness of danger. I’m fairly certain that there is no apparent danger in posting my thoughts on personal growth topics in a blog, which means expectation is the culprit. Where does expectation generate? Within. And therein lies the answer to the first step of moving past the stagnancy of procrastination. Challenge your negative expectations, replace them with positive ones, and replace the art of procrastination with the art of detachment. Detach from anything that is not serving you or the world at large.

I’ve recently learned that the three keys to manifestation are: (1) setting a positive intention, (2) stating your current gratitude with regard to your intention, and (3) putting in to motion a plan of ACTION.

So, here goes:

Intention—I am productive on a daily basis and accomplish what needs to get accomplished!

Gratitude—I am grateful for my experience with procrastination because it has lead me to a new awareness of myself, and has prompted me to explore what I need to do to grow, move out of a rut, and be productive.

Action—(this is the big one!) (1) I plan to send my blog address (http://www.terriheck.blogspot.com/) to everyone in my address book because I know this will make me feel more accountable to post my blog on a continuous basis, and (2) I plan to post my blog every Saturday (and if I’m feeling giddy, I might surprise you with one on Tuesday, too!).

I have a feeling that I’m not alone on this procrastination thing. If you’re picking up what I’m putting down, by all means, feel free to speak on it! If you’re in the same boat as I, then get in the game and share your three steps to manifesting a procrastination-free lifestyle. If you’ve won the procrastination tug-of-war please share your success story!

Until next Saturday, here’s wishing you a procrastination-free productive week.

Love,
Terri

2 comments:

  1. Terri,

    Your blog is certainly insightful! Whether we consider ourselves motivated or not, we are all guilty at some point of procrastination. Hey, we are human, right! Haha! Also, I've never really thought that the general term of fear could encompass so many things (and it does!) You broke down the basic reasons of procrastination effectively and have given me many things to think about here! My intention for this week-- is not only to deviate from procrastination (journaling), but to take a look at my fears... Thanks!! Tamara

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  2. Thanks for your comment, Tamara! Let me know if your procrastination deviation plan works, and what epiphanies surface around fear.

    Love,
    Terri

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