Monday Mojo – Push the Button

When you think about what you really want, what stops you going for it?

A healthy vision of your future might have popped in to your head when you read that, and that might be a place to start.

The pandemic has obviously put a few things on hold, but as things slowly return to ‘normal’ we might start to refocus on where we go next. But then we might pause and put it off for another day, or decide the timing just isn’t right.

I was recently reading a little book of inspiration by Simon Sinek called Together is Better. It’s a collection of quotes and cartoons from various talks that he’s given. One of the quotes says:

“If you say your job is something you don’t plan on doing forever, then why are you doing it now?”

You and I both know, life isn’t that easy that we can just say “Good point Simon, I’ll leave my job straight away”. The reason we do things (like stay in a job we don’t like) is because we feel we have to. I would never suggest, not even for for a minute, that you put up with something that makes you unhappy, but neither would I say it’s as simple as reframing some of the difficulties you have say from 9am to 5pm, by just saying “it’s all in a day’s work”.

However, it is worth asking what motivates you to get up and do what you do, and if you need to think about what changes to make next or what’s getting in the way. If the real reason life has stalled is down to procrastination, why is that? If you are putting things off because you want the mortgage paid or the kids to leave home first, is that the real reason?

As this article explains, procrastination is not laziness – there’s a reason we put things off. It might be because of COVID, and with things still in the unknown, we’re waiting for it all to settle down. Or we’re just a bit disorganised and not aligning our schedule with what we are trying to achieve. But sometimes it’s our desire to get things just right, a fear of failure, or a worry that we don’t deserve a slice of happiness.

Here’s what might help:

This week, maybe set the intention to Push the Button. Start the ball rolling by exploring your why and what gets you out of bed each day. Then think about what you’re putting off and the reasons that might be too. Maybe you believe you don’t deserve to aim higher (you absolutely do), or worry about what other people will think if you strive to move forward.

Whatever the reason, have a think about how you manage procrastination. One way is to hold yourself accountable for that one thing to someone else, ask a friend or colleague to check in on your progress. If you want to change career but don’t know where to start, or can’t afford it right now, maybe volunteering in the area you’re interested might help. If perfectionism is getting in the way, ask yourself how perfect something has to be and make sure you reward yourself with something lovely when you hit the green light and take the next step.

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Copyright Delphi Ellis 2020