The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuses, that’s the day you start out on top. – O.J. Simpson
Justin Crisp
“I would really like to travel one day, but I’m far too busy at work.”
“I would really love to write a book, but I’ve got more important things to focus on.”
“I would like to be an artist but I’m more of a sports guy.”
Do any of these excuses sound like you? How about somebody close to you?
What do you think the key word is here? You guessed it, ‘but’! This simple three letter word is common yet holds us back in many ways. From a psychological point of view, excuses are made due to laziness, not being committed or being unsure. Does this sound like you? How many times do you think you say ‘but’ in a day?
For Most Of Us We Make Excuses So Often We Would Have A Tough Time Counting
Coming up with excuses is an easy task. It’s always easier to think about why we should not do something, instead of just doing it. There are so many distractions – and with the world of YouTube procrastination can be deadly.
Have you ever sat down to do something yet find yourself doing something else? Ok, silly question – probably everybody has experienced this. How about feeling guilty for not doing the thing you set out to do, yet you keep watching funny cat videos mindlessly? I know I have.
What about more generally in our day to day lives. The majority of us come up with goals and aspirations but never quite get around to starting them, or when we do we give up quickly. I myself am guilty of this. Whether it’s not having enough money for the ‘right’ tools or “I’ll get around to it later”.
Most Of Our Goals Don’t Require Us To Have The Right Tools – A Start Can Always Be Made Without Having The Optimal Things For The Task. Be Creative!
A good friend of mine recently told me “I can’t get a job because I don’t have a car.” This is a great example of what I am talking about and there are many obvious ways we can get around it. It is often our minds that are the ones holding us back and not our circumstances.
To help you along I have composed a list of the 5 best ways to stop procrastination and kick those ‘buts’ once and for all!
1. Make a list. Put your goals to paper. When you do so you will have a much better idea of what you want to do. When you’ve done this…
2. Identify your resources. Optimism is the key. Good examples of this are dedication for what you’re doing or support from others. Write down a list of five things that will help you towards what you are trying to do.
3. Identify your obstacles. What will you have to tackle to reach what you want? A good example of this is money or time. Make another list of five things you need to get past.
4. Break down your task into steps. You’ll probably notice it’s much simpler than you thought!
5. Have fun! Turn your ‘boring’ tasks into something you enjoy. Of course we can’t enjoy everything, but generally if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing rethink why you’re doing it.