Is Procrastination Holding You Back?

Have you ever had a future goal that stirred in your heart every single day? You thought about it from every angle and imagined your success, yet somehow, it never quite took flight. In fact, it may not have fluttered through the first step. You are not alone.

Procrastination happens to us all. What’s hard to understand in our own moments of reflection is; why do we procrastinate on tasks that we really want to complete? Why do things we really want to accomplish sometimes turn into pipe dreams? Don’t worry. There are some very good explanations for our behavior. There are at least three primary reasons we procrastinate.

The first is the one I relate to most of all. Fear of failure. The glorious dream in our heads can sometimes overshadow reality so powerfully, we end up immobilized. Becoming a respected film director, best-selling author, performer, or the top guru in your field appears so far from where we are now, we just stand still gawking at that awesome possibility.

Apparently, the very prospect of letting down others or ourselves by spending precious energy and time on that distant goal is too much to risk. That fear is no different than a chain strapped around your ankle that holds you in place. Working it loose and pulling free happens when you can imagine the possibility of true failure and yet, you realize it is better to try than to hover in safety.

Second, the level of task adversiveness can hold you back. Try analyzing how difficult or unpleasant the steps are to achieving your dream. If the ultimate success in your mind requires you to spend years working as a low budget film producer until you prove your talent or you have to attend classes for years that enable you to apply for that upper level position, the ladder to the top can seem out of reach. Delayed gratification is a part of achieving that distant goal that you will have to analyze carefully. Only you will be able to decide if it is worth the sacrifice.

Last, low self-esteem will hold the best of us back from many worthy pursuits. If you don’t believe you are worthy of that position, title, or prestige, you won’t treat yourself kindly enough to stretch your skills and knowledge toward something better.

I challenge you to identify what you want, evaluate your fears, and consider how difficult or unpleasant the steps to achieve your dream. And most of all, how worthy are you of those efforts? Why not be good to yourself and cut those chains away from your ankles?!