26 Nov Are You Lying to Yourself?
I lied to myself. Believe me, I’m not proud of it.
Ok, here’s the deal. I’ve been working on my new book, overflowing with excitement, yet somehow, I’ve become a master at the art of procrastination.
Can you relate? Do you have a dream you’re excited to pursue, but “I’ll start tomorrow” bounces around your mind each day until, poof, months have slipped away, with no sign of the progress you envisioned?
To write my first book, Do What You Love, I created a writing habit and committed to writing at least 250 words a day. I even marked the accomplishment in my calendar daily to help gamify my progress. This simple yet effective strategy not only kept me on track but also provided an extra push on days when my muse seemed to be taking an unapproved vacation day.
I thought my second book would be easier, and my writing habit would continue as usual. Well, it hasn’t been quite that simple. Instead, often, the resistance takes over, and I end up checking email, working on another project, calling friends, or heading out the door to run an errand that is less than urgent.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been dabbling. I write often. Heck, I write to you weekly, which I love and hope you enjoy. But, let’s be real. Dabbling simply doesn’t get the job done. Dabbling doesn’t push us past the finish line of our dreams.
We don’t mean to deceive ourselves, but that’s essentially what happens when we decide to do something but fail to follow through. We have every intention of taking action, pushing forward, and doing exactly what we say we want to. But resistance is ruthless. It’s like a stealthy ninja, jumping out of nowhere, diverting our attention from what truly matters. Resistance and procrastination are the best of friends. They conspire to lure us into everything except our most crucial tasks.
So, how can we redeem ourselves from getting stuck in the black hole of procrastination? How can we get back on track with our writing habits, health journeys, fitness routines, relationship goals, work projects, or whatever you may be lying to yourself about?
Oh, I wish we could push a magic button to inject discipline into our bodies when we need it most, but until Elon or Zuck invents that, we must be our own heroes. To do so, we have to 1. Decide what we truly want, 2. Create a plan filled with attainable, tiny action steps, and 3. Commit to doing them regularly.
This looks like a daily writing habit, working out four times a week, meal prepping, date night once a week, creating and sticking with a budget, or whatever habit will support you in your dream.
Simple? Sure. Easy? Not always. Holding ourselves accountable is usually the hardest part. But you know what? It’s also the most rewarding. Only by holding ourselves accountable can we transform our dreams into reality and become the best version of ourselves.
Heading into the last month of the year is the perfect time to reevaluate our dreams and create a plan to achieve them. Let’s shower our lives with clarity, commitment, and accountability. We’ve got this.
Reply back and let me know what habit you’re committed to implementing to turn your dreams into reality. Let’s go!