procrastination Archives - The Goalden Lady

Preparation And Action Removes Fear

Preparation is a great way to eliminate fear. You fear what you don’t know, but in order to beat that feeling of insecurity and anxiety, you must set aside some time in advance to get ready.

We live in a microwave society where most people want things to happen in an instant. It’s awesome that technology has accommodated us by making some tasks easier and quicker to accomplish, but there are still some things that we need to prepare for in advance and with constructive thought.

Be Accountable For Your Actions

With responsibility comes accountability. Being able to own your mistakes and think for yourself is how you evolve as a person. There are too many people who allow others to dictate their circumstances, just by not holding themselves accountable.

So many of us have a “it wasn’t me” mindset when it comes to life. We think if we can get away from taking the blame, life will be better. If you don’t take responsibility and prepare for what may come, someone else will handle it for you and that doesn’t turn out well.

Holding yourself accountable for your actions is how you grow. Even if it wasn’t your fault, you can control the narrative by taking the reins and moving forward. Equip yourself with the information needed to bring about a solid outcome. Yes, it takes time and effort to prepare (and a strong mindset to correct possible mishaps), but it will serve you better on multiple levels.

When you are accountable for yourself and the things you do, that’s when life becomes better. Constantly looking for someone else to throw under the bus is backwards. Be prepared – tackle those obstacles and hold yourself responsible. There’s always someone to blame for your problems, but your life won’t be productive until you decide to take control and become accountable for your actions.

Decisions, Big And Small

The smallest decision can have the biggest impact. Everyday, we have choices to make and it creates the world we live in. Being lazy today can inhibit your success tomorrow.

When it’s time to make a decision, don’t delay. Some of your future situations are based off of the choices you prepare for now. If the information is there, use it to your best interest and make appropriate plans.

Sometimes, we procrastinate and hope things will play out in our favor. Of course, it’s nearly impossible to prepare for every single thing that may happen, but it helps to be in front of the eight ball instead of behind it.

Your decisions lead your life. Poor decisions will give you poor results. Always think 2 steps ahead when considering your choices. Think about what you want the outcome to be and guide your thinking in that direction. Also, think about where things could go wrong. It may not turn out how you want it to, but either way, you’ll be prepared no matter what happens.

Prepare For The Best And The Worst

Being accountable for your decisions and responsible for your actions are beneficial to being self-reliant. As long as you depend on someone else to take the blame or make choices for you, your life is not your own.

Action and preparation cures fear. If you don’t want something to turn out a certain way, prepare for it by doing something about it now. Don’t wait until it’s too late. You don’t want to be in a worse predicament than you were before. Do something to prevent the worst from happening or do something that will play in your favor.

Don’t be afraid if things turn out differently than you planned – that’s what makes it adventurous. There will be things you’re unable to control along the way, but there are some things that will pleasantly surprise you, too.

When you prepare, you build confidence – things don’t seem as scary. You don’t feel stressed or stuck when you develop a plan and have it ready. By practicing preparedness, you are overcoming your fear by taking action.

#TBT: Getting Ready To Get Ready

Preparation and being ready is key to becoming great, but sometimes, we can over do it.

Getting ready to get ready is really an excuse to procrastinate. We say things like:

I’ll start on Monday (everybody’s favorite)
When I get $500, then I’ll start saving
When I finish all of the ice cream in the freezer, then I’ll start my diet
When I buy some exercise equipment, then I’ll start exercising

Do you see a pattern? When I do ‘x’, then I’ll do ‘y’.

When Should You Start?

It may be hard to admit, but this is just a fancy form of procrastination. Anything you can do, can be done immediately. It won’t make any difference when you start, but because you are constantly ‘getting ready to get ready’, you never begin.

This is why it’s better to start your ideas soon after you have them. Giving yourself time to ‘get ready’ only prolongs what you are trying to do.

In the above examples, you can start any of those things right away. Most people like to start their plans on Monday. Why not start the following day? Why can’t you start saving money now, even if you don’t have $500? What does eating all of the ice cream first have to do with you beginning a new diet? Instead of wasting time trying to buy the right exercise equipment, why not start with a YouTube workout or go outside and play with the kids?

Stay Ready

Anything you want to do can be done without using the ‘getting ready to get ready’ excuse formula. We have to stop giving ourselves an easy way out. Procrastination only brings about more procrastination – it’s a neverending cycle.

Make up your mind that you will start, no matter what the circumstances are in your head. Don’t hinder your own growth – don’t become your own enemy. Be disciplined and take action. Have the confidence to move forward and create progress. You are more than capable and prepared to start than you think you are.

Hold yourself accountable and take control of your future. Hesitating won’t get you anywhere. You don’t want to be in the same place, a year from now. Be extraordinary and do what needs to be done, even when you don’t feel like it. Embrace those challenges so that you can become the exceptional person you’re meant to be!

#BeGoalden

#TBT: How To Turn Procrastination Into Progress

Procrastination occurs in many ways. Some people put things off at the suggestion of others, while some are stuck being comfortable.

With the internet, most things have become easier to access. Today, you don’t need to wait for anything to happen. Delaying any type of progress is a choice that you consciously make.

With that being said, how can you stop being hesitant? Is it possible to pull yourself out of that negative vortex? When is the best time to go from procrastination to progress?

The Procrastination Trap

Change can be as difficult as you make it. Sometimes, we tend to make things harder than they really are, especially if it’s outside of our confort zone.

Instant gratification is a procrastination trap. You’re so used to having things happen instantly, you begin to think that everything should happen right now.

When you come across something that takes a little more time to come together, you become anxious. Then, you decide to leave it alone, because it’s not happening fast enough.

This leads to you procrastinating on many things, simply because it doesn’t happen right away. Realize that it takes time for some things to fall into place – all you have is time. Prepare yourself with patience and realize that everything doesn’t come about within a moment’s notice.

The Progressive Mindset

In order to make progress, it starts in your mind. Your mind is your first line of defense when it comes to obtaining information and processing it.

Your environment may be bad, your friends may be critical and your luck may not be going good, but you still have a choice. Don’t let the limitations around you affect your way of thinking.

When you think, think of positive things. Think about improving yourself, achieving that goal, having a good day, helping someone in need, or receiving good news. It may not turn out the way you think, but you learn to accept things the way they are and adjust, so you can make changes.

Progress happens when you’re able to shift your thinking and adapt to any outcome that may happen. Procrastination will hold you back from even making that first attempt, but a positive mindset will allow you to follow through and create a solution.

Procrastination Begins With Small Steps

Once you find a solution, you can begin to step into your life. As long as you don’t let procrastination stop you, you will eventually develop a productive habit.

When you get into the practice of actually starting, it’s not as hard as it seems. Begin with something small and easy to accomplish. This will have a snowball effect – the more you do it successfully, the better you can accommodate bigger tasks with confidence.

Taking small steps isn’t frightening. It’s small enough to begin, but big enough to get you going in the right direction, away from procrastination.

Outside factors can have an influence on how you move. Don’t let your environment intimidate you and don’t let small-minded people convince you to stay complacent. Starting small is better than not starting at all.

Beating Procrastination

Overcoming the habit of procrastination won’t be easy. It’s not something you can expect to happen within 24 hours. The best time to start is always NOW.

Like anything else, making progress will take time and effort to establish and maintain. There are many distractions working against you already, but as long as you don’t expect things to happen instantly, have the right mindset and take small steps, it’ll all come together.

Procrastination comes in many different forms, but you can handle it. With the right outlook, you can defeat the battle of putting things off and become more productive and dynamic with your goals.

#BeGoalden

Take Action, But Don’t Get Stuck On The Research

Take Action, Get It Wrong And Do It Again

The first step to taking action, for some, is doing research. There are lots of questions concerning how to get started and if it interests you enough to put in the time and effort.

It only makes sense to do some reading and asking around before you begin, but what happens when it turns into procrastination? Is there ever a right time to start?

Action Is A Verb. Be A Verb.

Let’s not make this harder than what it really is. Yes, research is designed to help you make informed decisions and to create strategic plans moving forward, but other than that, what’s stopping you?

We come up with all kinds of excuses: it’s too hot, my head hurts, I don’t have time, I’ll do it Monday, the stock market is down, it shouldn’t have happened that way, and so on.

It’s very easy to provide excuses, but what about taking action? No matter how much research you do, the wheels won’t start turning until you actually do something. Do not paralyze your actions by overthinking – simply move and adjust.

Don’t Ask For Action, Take It!

After you announce your goal, people will follow up to see if you’re following through. Did you think you would announce that you would take over the world and no one would ask about it later?

If you’re bold enough to put it out there, be bold enough to do it. We have these great ideas, yet, we never get around to them. An invisible fear creeps in and floods our imagination with all kinds of negativity and distractions.

All of a sudden, you’ve created a thousand reasons why your great idea was really a terrible idea. Others have talked you out of it by voicing their unsolicited opinions.

You do not need anyone’s permission. Don’t wait for the world’s approval, or you’ll be waiting forever. Hold yourself accountable and take responsibility for the results. The best thing about it is, you can always go back and do it better, no matter how many times you fail (which is only learning).

Do You Hide Behind Research?

Yes, a little research is sometimes needed before you dive into something. You want to know what you’re getting into and what it takes to become successful at it. At some point, you must go and do.

Some of us get stuck in the research phase. It’s comfortable because no one is expecting anything from us and we don’t have to face rejection. We feel safe from potential challenges and obstacles when we’re constantly ‘getting ready’.

Nothing happens when you continuously research. You may gain more knowledge and discover different routes to achieve your goal, but nothing happens. If nothing happens, nothing happens. It’s just that simple.

Go ahead and do your research, but do it and start. Don’t get stuck there forever – put some actionable force behind it. Instead of worrying about being perfect, be productive.

Stop Getting Ready And Just Do It!

The only way you’ll get there is if you take action. Understand that it may not be right the first or second time, but that’s how you improve and do better.

Step out of the ‘getting ready’ phase and step into the ‘now what’ phase. After you take action, think, ‘now what’? What can I do next? Can I make it better? How can I get closer to the outcome?

Success requires action, not constant procrastination through endless research. Don’t be your own worst enemy. If you take that first step and keep going, the fear will go away. The time will never be right, but the right time is now.

#BeGoalden

Don’t Let The New Year Fool You

It happens every single year. Around December, people begin to gear up and make resolutions, personal promises and new goals for the upcoming year. It never fails.

Who insisted upon the idea that we should give it our all, once a year? How does this affect our ability to succeed and grow?

New Year’s Resolutions

This is a popular topic of discussion around this time. We make a point to begin our ‘new’ journey on January 1st.

People make resolutions about what they are going to do, but does anyone look back and give productive thought to the current year? How can you improve if you keep standing in the same place?

Making resolutions is fine, but make it a continuation of what you’re doing now. It doesn’t make sense to start the same thing, every year – time is valuable. Most people give up within the first few months and forget about it. This leads to making the same mistake with the same goal, every time.

Resolutions and goals are estimated potential guides. We know what we want to achieve, we set a plan and we put in the work. What happens when we crash and lose our momentum?

Don’t Let The New Year Get You Stuck

After the first couple of months of ‘working’ on getting better, the enthusiasm starts to fade. We begin to do less and less everyday. Distractions look more appealing. Eventually, we stop altogether.

Instead of getting back on the horse, we allow small, meaningless tasks to consume our time and energy, just as it did before. That same vortex creeps back into our lives, sucks us in, and takes over. Complacency sets in and excuses become even more common.

There’s no doubt that the little things need to get done, but what happened to becoming the best version of yourself? Where’s that fire and rock solid intention that you possessed on December 31st, right before midnight?

The New Year Isn’t The Only Time

Where does it say that we have to stop and wait until next year to start all over again?

Most people make the same declaration every year, because they didn’t accomplish it last year, or the year before. They lose their excitement and they just stop and never think about it again – until December.

As opposed to procrastinating and waiting, let’s get in the habit of starting the next day. Instead of having one opportunity a year to get it right, you now have 365 (366 if it’s a leap year) opportunities to get it right and create a productive and more fulfilling life.

You don’t have to lose weight every year. Lose weight one year, travel more the next year, start a business the year after that and so on. Do something and make progress, otherwise, you just live the same life over and over again.

Growing everyday is better than growing once a year.

Let’s turn “Happy New Year!” into “Happy New Day!” You don’t necessarily have to wait until midnight every night to proclaim it, but you could review your resolutions and goals before you go to sleep and wake up in the morning with the same intent and motivation.

Commit To Your Greatness, All Over Again

The best part is, you get a chance to begin again, every 24 hours. No matter how ineffective you may have been yesterday (because it does happen), you can recommit and start all over again.

Build up your consistency by letting go of your fear of failure – do it until you get it right. Failing is the most straightforward way of learning how to do something better and it gets you to your success a lot faster than waiting. If you don’t keep pushing to improve, how will you get there?

There’s no need to wait for months at a time before you set a new goal, or begin one. You haven’t failed, you just need another opportunity to get it right. Give yourself permission and take that opportunity, daily.

#BeGoalden

How To Turn Procrastination Into Progress

Procrastination occurs in many ways. Some people put things off at the suggestion of others, while some are stuck being comfortable.

With the internet, most things have become easier to access. Today, you don’t need to wait for anything to happen. Delaying any type of progress is a choice that you consciously make.

With that being said, how can you stop being hesitant? Is it possible to pull yourself out of that negative vortex? When is the best time to go from procrastination to progress?

The Procrastination Trap

Change can be as difficult as you make it. Sometimes, we tend to make things harder than they really are, especially if it’s outside of our confort zone.

Instant gratification is a procrastination trap. You’re so used to having things happen instantly, you begin to think that everything should happen right now.

When you come across something that takes a little more time to come together, you become anxious. Then, you decide to leave it alone, because it’s not happening fast enough.

The Progressive Mindset

In order to make progress, it starts in your mind. Your mind is your first line of defense when it comes to obtaining information and processing it.

Your environment may be bad, your friends may be critical and your luck may not be going good, but you still have a choice. Don’t let the limitations around you affect your way of thinking.

Procrastination Begins With Small Steps

Once you find a solution, you can begin to step into your life. As long as you don’t let procrastination stop you, you will eventually develop a productive habit.

Taking small steps isn’t frightening. It’s small enough to begin, but big enough to get you going in the right direction, away from procrastination.

Beating Procrastination

Overcoming the habit of procrastination won’t be easy. It’s not something you can expect to happen within 24 hours. The best time to start is always NOW.

Procrastination comes in many different forms, but you can handle it. With the right outlook, you can defeat the battle of putting things off and become more productive and dynamic with your goals.

#BeGoalden

Even At A Turtle’s Pace, You Can Still Make Progress

Everyone makes progress with their goals in their own time. We don’t achieve success together, not unless we’re on the same team. Developing the habit of progress is important to your goals.

It may take some people five years to write a book, while it may take others only three months. Time is always of the essence, but when it comes to making progress with our dreams, everyone is different.

A Turtle Still Makes Progress

A turtle is one of the slowest animals on earth. We could learn a lot from them about being persistent. Slow action is better than no action.

No matter how slow a turtle is, it always gets to it’s destination. It may not get there the same time as a dog, but nevertheless, it will get there.

A turtle probably doesn’t know it, but it has what we humans call persistence. No matter what happens, all it knows is to keep going (even in traffic).

It doesn’t matter how slow you think you’re going. The main point is that you don’t quit. Continue to make progress, even in the face of adversity.

Mistakes Are Proof Of Progress

Some of us stop ourselves before we even begin. We have a fear of making mistakes and having to deal with obstacles.

A mistake isn’t a hint that you should give up. A mistake is simply feedback. It will let you know what kind of adjustments that need to be made in order to improve what you’re doing.

Most people stop at mistakes. They think of it as a dead end. How else would you figure out how to do anything, without making mistakes?

A mistake will help you more than it will hurt you. It may seem painful in the beginning, but overall, it’s there to let you know that there’s a better way and you can make progress and create quality work.

Problems Promote Progress

Like mistakes, problems are there to help us towards a path of improvement. It’s hard to see it that way when your mindset is constantly set on ‘victim’ mode.

If you look at a problem as a challenge (because that’s what a problem really is), your mind will switch to finding solutions, as opposed to playing the victim.

When you play the victim, everything is everyone else’s fault. You take no responsibility for what happens and you complain to make it go away.

Problems won’t go away until you see them as challenges and become a solution-oriented person. Instead of accepting what happens, turn it around and create a strategy to overcome it. It may take time, but it’s still progress.

Follow Through

Be intentional by following through with your goals. The time will pass anyway, so you should go ahead and just start.

What if you would have started when you first thought about it? How far along would you be if you hadn’t procrastinated? Following through is a strategy that is often forgotten, once a mistake or ‘problem’ occurs.

Fast or slow, progress can be made as long as you continue to follow through. Whether it takes two years or two months, just keep moving forward. By putting it off, you’re making a promise that it’ll never happen.

#BeGoalden

5 Bad Habits To Unlearn To Achieve The Impossible Goal

5 Bad Habits To Unlearn To Achieve Any Impossible Goal

Achieving the impossible goal seems time consuming. In today’s world, it’s easy to be complacent. Instant gratification is at an all-time high and just about everything around us can be done in a microwave minute.

Moving forward seems so easy, yet, it’s so hard to do. In our minds, we make all kinds of plans and goals, but in reality, we stop ourselves before we even start.

Somewhere in between, we need to make a connection with mentally thinking it, to physically doing it.

5 Bad Habits To Unlearn

Thinking about your past. The only reason you should reflect on the past, is to see how far you’ve come. We make the mistake of thinking so much about what happened, we start to live there. That’s where you get stuck. There’s a reason it’s called the past – what’s done is done and you can’t go back and change it. Have the courage to define your future and step into the unknown. That’s where growth happens.
Failing. We’ve all experienced failure at some point in our lives. Let’s shift the perception – ‘failure’ is just another word for ‘learning’. You don’t fail, you learn. Just because you failed at something doesn’t mean it’s not for you and you should quit. When you look back and see the mistake and how you could have done better, implement it and do it again. Not only will you improve upon what you’re doing, but you’ll make progress towards your impossible goal.
Procrastination. We put things off until tomorrow, Monday, or next year. Your diet doesn’t always have to start on Monday, you can just as easily start it on Thursday, or whatever day you think about it. Stop putting things off. Get uncomfortable and make a move. If you don’t do it now, when will you do it? ‘Eventually’ never comes. Do it now.
Accepting judgment from others. People will make fun of you and throw witty insults at you all day long. It’s nothing new. They are insecure about themselves, so know that it’s not you, it’s them. They want to put their fears on you, without pointing the finger at themselves. Don’t let it get you down. You are growing and they’re not. That’s scary to them, because it shows that you’re making progress and they’re staying the same. Never take those judgments personal. Keep it moving.
Making excuses. This is a major one. Not only do we use excuses on others, we use them on ourselves! “I can’t exercise today because I have a doctor’s appointment. If I exercise in the morning, that means I’ll have to wash my hair and by the time I get back home, it’ll be too hot and I’ll have to take another shower and…” Just stop it. You’re either going to do it or not – there’s no story long enough that’s going to validate your excuse.

When To Start Your Impossible Goal

There’s never a good time to start anything. This is procrastination at it’s finest. We all talk about ‘perfect timing’, but it doesn’t exist.

The time to start is always now. If you don’t start, how do you expect to get it done? Your results don’t appear out of the sky – you must take action if you want to see your success.

It’s okay if you have to do it alone. If you wait on your friends, you’ll be waiting forever and most of all, wasting time. Don’t be afraid to step out and start on your own.

You’ll Never Be Ready

“I’ll start when I’m ready.” This is another way we prevent ourselves from moving forward. You’re never 100% ready. Start when you’re 30% ready or just 10% ready.

Being fully ready never happens. Know that if you just start, you’ll learn the rest as you go along. This is where learning and improvement take place, but you must have the confidence to begin.

Go out and just do it! Be uncomfortable with the wrong time and not being fully prepared – that’s the journey! You’ll be so much better on the other side than if you were to be lazy and stagnant. Take a chance, make that first step and achieve the impossible!

#BeGoalden

Move To Improve

We let so many thoughts scare us…

it needs to be perfect
it’s not the right time
what if they don’t like it
what if I fail

Then, there’s another level. We make situational excuses…

I’ll start when I get paid
it rained
I have to do ‘A’ before I do ‘B’
Little Billy got sick

What are we afraid of? It’s not that we’re really busy – it’s that we’re afraid to actually do.

People who really go after what’s in their heads are special. They don’t stop to overthink and analyze how crazy it might seem. They aren’t afraid of the voices in their head. They just go and succeed and keep right on going.

Everyday, try to have that mindset. Commit to doing something everyday, even when it sucks. If you put in the daily effort, it can’t get any worse – it has to get better.

So, whatever it is that you want to do, please don’t worry about the outcome or what other people will think. That is exactly what stops you.

“Be like a computer. Respond with results, not excuses.”
The Goalden Lady

Google, or any other search engine, has never given an excuse when you use it to find answers or research.

Creating excuses is a habit that has been unconsciously passed down from generation to generation, across the world. When someone asks you something, instead of telling them the truth, your mind automatically looks for an excuse. It has spilled into so many other areas of our lives, we accept it without thinking.

We treat procrastination the same way. It’s used so much, we believe it. We’re making ourselves intellectually soft. No one wants to think or do anymore.

It’s going to be hard to quit, but I challenge everyone to catch yourself when you make an excuse. Catch yourself when you procrastinate. Don’t let yourself off the hook. Hold yourself accountable.

What do you do instead?

You find the mental power within you and push through. You do it. Perform. Act. Create. Operate. Be intentional and start. Be intentional and finish. It doesn’t have to be big, just begin. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Start by making small changes. You don’t have to start drinking 8 glasses a day, start with 2. You don’t have to start by running a 5k, start with a walk in the neighborhood. You don’t have to start with an expensive date with balloons and roses, start with a kind word and a smile.

Build your foundation. Work your way up to the results you want to obtain. Often times, we see what we want and it overwhelms us because we don’t know how to start – all we see is the end result. Start small and keep building, day by day.

Also, you will have to kill the negative chatter in your head, because that’s also stopping you. Your will to improve has to start in your mind.

Tell yourself how great you are. Tell yourself that you have the ability to do anything. Tell yourself that no matter how difficult it gets, you will find a way. Tell yourself these things, because it’s true.

You’ll even fall, sometimes. That’s okay, just remember to get up. There will be times where it hurts, but give it the time it needs, then keep going.

It’s going to be hard. You’re going to want to give up. You’ll make even more excuses because that’s easy. Change is hard. As long as you have breath in your body, believe that you can do it.

You won’t improve by doing the same thing – at some point, you’ll need to upgrade your game. Do something positive, something that will push you towards a greater situation, to the next level – something different.

It sounds so simple, but it’s one of the most hardest things in the world for people to do.

Take action and move.

#BeGoalden

3 Things That Keep You From Taking Action

There are many things that can keep us from moving forward. In the process of meeting your goals, you should have an encouraging environment, healthy mindset and strong belief that you can do it, even when others say you can’t.

Environment. Your environment plays an intricate part in your personal development. The people around you can be critical. It’s easy to be pessimistic and insult others. People will put their insecurities on you and try to make you feel bad, but don’t fall for it. They actually wish they had the guts to do what you are doing. It takes the pressure off of them and places it on you.

Being in a supportive environment will definitely work in your favor. It will force you to level up and face your challenges head on. An encouraging environment allows your creativity to grow. As a result, you will grow as a person and you will reach your goals with confidence.

Stop getting ready to get ready. You have a bright idea and you plan to get started on it right away. Then, you think about what kind of research to do. You dwell on how you’re going to prepare so that everything turns out just right. The bright idea continues to live in your head.

The idea is there, but you’re not moving. You keep procrastinating and thinking. Thinking about it can only take you so far. At some point, you’re going to have to act upon your idea. Get out of your own way and do something to make the idea happen. It will live in your mind forever if you let it. Don’t be a great thinker, be a great action-taker.

Belief. The most important thing is believing in yourself. Others may not believe in you, but you have to bet on yourself. No one is going to trust your idea will happen until you make it happen. If you believe in yourself, you don’t waste time trying to convince other people to believe in you. Your work will speak for itself.

Learn to take a chance on yourself. Don’t wait for permission from someone else – give yourself permission. It’s your idea and you’re responsible for bringing it to light. Others will let you down, but if you believe in what you’re doing, you’ll have the courage to see it through.

These things can hinder your progress when working towards your goals. Make it happen by being around people who support you, take action and believe in the one person you know can do it – you. Stop looking to others for permission and just start. You got this.