Procrastination is a Slow but Deadly Killer! Here Are 5
Simple Ways Entrepreneurs Can Fight It!
In November 2006, Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian
spy, suddenly fell ill and died three weeks later from the
deadly effects of a slow-acting poison. In the weeks before
his death, doctors in London did everything they could to
diagnose the cause of his disease but failed. It was only
after Alexander’s death did autopsy tests reveal he had been
poisoned with a very rare and extremely deadly substance.
Polonium is a radioactive poison and a deadly slow killer
with no cure. While most poisons kill instantly or after a few
minutes, Polonium takes its time and could take several
months before it finally kills its victim. In all the time it
remains in the body, it destroys it slowly often without giving
any major signs. This is exactly how procrastination slowly
kills the business dreams of entrepreneurs around the world.
This article reveals five simple but effective steps that anyone
can use to recover from procrastination if and when it
poisons your dreams!
I hope I didn’t scare the hell out of you with the Polonium
story. It’s shocking but very true. I found it to have a very
compelling similarity to the deadly effects of procrastination
in our lives. Almost seven out of every ten aspiring
entrepreneurs I know are already infected with the
‘procrastination syndrome.’
But why do so many people easily become victims of
procrastination? Why, despite knowing its deadly effects, do
we allow it to poison our dreams and rob us of the ability to
take any action? I think I have a couple of clues. Before we
look at the 5 ways to fight procrastination, let’s look at a
couple of reasons why it’s so common in the first place…
2 Reasons Why Procrastination Is So Common in Our
Lives...
In this section, I’ll share with you two key reasons why
procrastination is such an effective dream killer. Many of you
reading this will easily relate to the signs and situations
you’re about to read. Here they are…
#1 – Procrastination is a sweet and comfortable feeling:-
One of the biggest advantages of procrastination is the
comfort it provides. If you have a brilliant business idea but
continue to postpone any actions that will make it a real life
business, what will happen? Nothing. In January, you said
you’ll act in March; by March, you set a new date in
October. Days, weeks, months and even years pass and you
keep procrastinating. It’s such a comfortable feeling knowing
you can procrastinate without suffering any consequences,
right?
It’s this comfort that makes procrastination such a powerful
poison. It makes you believe you have all the time in the
world to act. It makes you think there will be no
consequences for not acting on your business dreams today.
Hour by hour, day by day, it slowly steals your time without
your knowing. By the time you realize that you’re being
robbed, it’ll be too late. Lost capital can be recovered,
mistakes can be redeemed, but stolen time is often lost
forever!
#2 - Procrastination usually exists in disguise:-
Very few people in this world will admit that they suffer from
procrastication. Just a few honest people will admit it. Why?
Because most people don’t even know that they’ve been
poisoned by procrastination already. They think they’re
suffering from a different disease and are unaware of the real
poison at work. If you ask many aspiring entrepreneurs why
they haven’t acted on their dreams and ideas, the popular
responses you’re likely to get will be:
‘I don’t have the capital to start.’
‘I just had a baby.’
‘I don’t have the contacts’
‘Now is not a good time to start’
‘I don’t have enough information yet’
Bla bla bla…
What do you think all these people are doing? Yes, you’re
right; they’re making excuses. If you listen well enough,
you’ll hear people come up with the most logical, intelligent,
beautiful and emotional excuses. And excuses make the best
disguise for procrastination. An excuse convinces the owner
that they have a very valid reason for not acting. What a
perfect lie!
The 5 Simple Steps to Fighting Procrastination...
Fortunately, unlike Polonium which has no cure,
procrastination can be avoided and cured. Very good news
indeed! For a deadly dream killer, you would think the
solution to procrastination would be complex, expensive or
hard to find. I thought so too. It’s amazing how the best
solutions in life are often available for free.
The remedy for procrastination is in YOU. Yes, you don’t
need to hire an expensive coach, therapist or ‘anti-procrasti
nation’ doctor. If you’re ready to make yourself resistant to
this disease or find a cure (if you’re already infected), here
are five simple but highly effective steps I recommend to
fighting the slow-acting but deadly effects of procrastination.
1. It Always Starts With A Choice…
The first step in fighting procrastination involves getting your
fundamentals right. You have to make a choice about that
thing you want to do or become. Even though you may not
yet have all the information, knowledge, skills, capital or time
to make it happen, you still have to make a decision
beforehand.
Do you really want to become an entrepreneur? Do you
really want to start your own business? Do you really want
to do something different with your life? The answer to these
questions will either be a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. ‘Maybe’ and ‘Not
Sure’ are warning signs of procrastination, so beware!
The biggest problem for most aspiring entrepreneurs is we
haven’t made that very important choice or decision yet.
Like I said, you don’t need to have everything in place to
make this choice. It’s more about belief and faith at this
stage. You may not yet know how you will build that dream
business but you have to commit to it by making a choice, a
decision.
Whatever choice you make, you must promise yourself that
you will give all the hardwork and determination your dream
needs to succeed. If you don’t make this promise
beforehand, it would be very easy to change your mind as
soon as you meet a challenge or problem down the road.
Before we go to the next step, I need you to make that
choice NOW and promise yourself that you’ll do all it takes
to make it come alive and become real? Done? Sure?
OK, let’s go to Step 2.
2. Your Attitude Is Important. Take Charge Of It!
You see, many people haven’t taken personal responsibility
for their lives. They may have made a choice, but they end
up blaming other people for their unrealized dreams. They
blame the banks for not lending capital to small businesses.
They blame the government for the difficulties entrepreneurs
face in starting a business. They blame the politicians, their
bosses, the weather or their poor background. Some
‘interesting’ people blame their parents, evil forces and even
God.
It’s true there are things that affect the realization of your
dream that you cannot change. Yes, you can’t force banks to
lend money and you can’t change poor government policies
overnight. Yes, you can’t change many of these things but
you can change your attitude. You can change how react to
them. A positive attitude is ABSOLUTELY important if you
want to defeat the powerful effects of procrastination.
No matter how the wind blows, you need to take charge of
your life, your dreams and the choices you make. The
biggest disadvantage of not taking personal responsibility for
our lives is that we end up blaming other people. A person
who has taken charge by adopting a positive attitude to life
will focus more on finding a solution to his/her challenges. A
positive attitude opens your mind to possibilities and
solutions instead of blames and excuses.
What kind of attitude do you have to life and your dreams?
Are you a solution finder or a blame thrower? Do you look
for possibilities in every difficult situation or do you easily
come up with excuses? Which of these teams do you play
for?
3. You Need To Have A Plan, No Matter How Basic…
Most things in life never work according to plan but it
ALWAYS helps to have a plan to start with. Think through
the steps and processes that will lead you to achieve your
dream. Your plan doesn’t need to be perfect. Your plan
would change as you get more information and your dream
becomes clearer. As more information becomes available,
you will have the tools you need to update your plan.
Most importantly: Write down your plan. There’s something
very powerful and different about writing down your plan. It
ceases to be that vague fluff in your head and becomes
something real. It’s also a good practice to look at your plan
from time to time. This simple practice will help you to
update it as soon as possible and also keep you focused on
the destination.
Like I said, very few things in life ever go according to plan.
In real life, the road to actualizing your dreams is seldom a
straight one. Unexpected roadblocks will show up, new
opportunities will emerge and several things may go wrong
and off course. With a plan, you’re always ready to adapt to
any situations you meet, whether good or bad. People
without a plan are far more likely to procrastinate when they
meet obstacles along the way. A plan is a commitment on
paper; it will help you adapt when you are in rough waters.
A wise man once said: “If you don’t know where you’re
going, any road will lead you there.” Start working on your
basic plan today!
4. Create A Sense Of Urgency. Put A Gun To Your Head!
Sometime in 2004, I was travelling back home from
university when our bus fell into the hands of highway
robbers. Thankfully, nobody got hurt or shot during that
ordeal but that day taught me a huge lesson about what
human beings can do when a gun is against their heads.
Although I was just recovering from malaria and still quite
weak, I was amazed at the physical strength I displayed
throughout the robbery operation which lasted about two
hours.
“Shut up!”, “Lie down flat and face the ground!”, “Give me
your money, fast!”
I obeyed all these orders despite the weakness and absence
of strength in me. I obeyed every command because there
was a gun (probably loaded) staring down at me. All their
orders required an immediate and urgent reaction without
which there may have been grave consequences.
Like you read in the early parts of this article, one of the
reasons why procrastination is so powerful is that it lures us
to believe that ‘there is no rush; there’ll always be time.’ By
believing this lie, it cleverly steals our time and life from us.
Every successful person knows that the best time to get
anything done is NOW! Put a gun to your head by setting
strict and firm deadlines for yourself. Avoid the temptation of
doing tomorrow that thing you should do today. Create a
sense of urgency for yourself and execute your plan
according to your deadlines!
5. Take Action!
After making a choice, adopting the right attitude, creating a
basic plan and setting strict deadlines for yourself, nothing
will happen or change until you take action. Even if you take
only one step a day, it’s better than standing in one place
and making no progress at all. Every single day, you must
do something (no matter how little) that takes you closer to
your dreams.
According to The Slight Edge, a life changing book by Jeff
Olson, the little steps and efforts we take everyday may not
look like they matter, but they do. By taking consistent and
positive actions in the direction of our dreams, we will
ultimately achieve it. Action is the single most potent
medicine in the world against procrastination. Action, no
matter how small, effectively kills procrastination. Always!
Time waits for Nobody!
If you’re still young (below 65), count yourself as lucky. You
still have a lot of time on your hands. Many years from
today, you will be old, retired and not as strong as you are
now.
Whether you pursue your dreams and achieve them or
simply relax and enjoy the sweet poison of procrastination,
time will still pass. No matter what you’re doing (or plan to
do), time will always keep moving; it’s a train that never
stops.
What you do with your time is entirely up to you. Your job is
to achieve the dreams you can while you still have time;
while you’re still young and active. Procrastination’s job is
to steal as much time from you in any way possible. It’s up
to you to decide how much of your time you want it to steal!
KILL PROCRASTINATION TODAY OR IT KILLS YOU.....

Op change this topic to 'A TEST OF NLers PATIENCE'

Op change this topic to 'A TEST OF NLers PATIENCE'

will do just that

wonderful write up.
big ups bruv..following you diligently