There is psychology behind procrastination. Our brains want instant gratification rather than delayed gratification. But I’m not going to focus on that part in this episode. I feel a lot of people talk about that. I want to talk about this from the vantage point of someone who used to procrastinate on my well-being goals.
For the longest, I would say, I’ll go vegan one day. I’m going to start being consistent with yoga. I am going to start a well-being brand) to now, today being someone who is actively pursuing my goals and prioritizing my well-being.
I am so grateful for the Shanice that chose to go on this journey toward evolving. I’m grateful for the Shanice that chose to be guided by her own voice, her own intuition, what she wanted for her career and the lifestyle I wanted to live even when it wasn’t all that clear, and I felt completely out of place with everything I was doing. But it has not always been like this. I’ve been open about this. I’ve known I wanted to be vegan and start a well-being brand for a long time.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
I think about the times I wasn’t in this really creative space and how I felt. Feeling like I was stuck in the cycle of procrastination, particularly in terms of things that don’t have external deadlines.
And I’m not saying that procrastination is something that I’ve completely overcome, because I think this type of procrastination and this feeling comes in cycles. Sometimes you feel a lot more productive, creative, and energized than other times. That’s just how it is.
But I think often times when we are stuck in this cycle of procrastinating, it’s because we have a fear or some other emotion that’s lurking in the background that we don’t want to feel.
WHAT PROCRASTINATION LOOKS LIKE
Think about all the people you know who are super talented, have all of these ideas that want to do this and do that, and they aren’t taking any steps to make it a reality. And you ask them why they haven’t done it, and they say “Oh I’ll do it once I have this or that.”
“I need this amount of money.”
“I need to wait until the kids are at older.”
“I don’t have enough experience.”
“I don’t have time to do that (this is one of my personal favorites).
Or they count themselves out completely and say – “I could never do that [go vegan, run a marathon, start a side business, practice yoga consistently].”
This could be something that you are experiencing right now. Think about it: what have you been saying you will do for months or years that you just “haven’t gotten around to?” And the thing is, we can always find an excuse to not do the work or follow through on that idea. And we often do this without looking around at the resources that are at our disposal in this moment.
HOW PROCRASTINATION SHOWS UP
Procrastination can show up in a lot of ways. I like to think of these as little procrastinations that can lead up to you missing small goals like turning in a work assignment on time or when you said you would. Or, it could also be the little procrastinations that prevent you from growing and evolving in big ways that can change your life or your health. Like going vegan, going back to school, starting a business, being the parent that you want to be.
Those small decisions to put something off and procrastinate add up, and you miss out on all the good things that your growth and your evolution will get you.
Because there’s a difference in actively working toward this vision that you have for yourself and just thinking about it, planning, and procrastinating without following that up with action.
I wanted to highlight what you are missing out on when you stay stuck in this cycle of making little decisions to procrastinate.
Peace within yourself that you’re honoring your vision.
Not going for a goal that you want is uncomfortable. It is painful! You going about your business, and you just feel that little twinge like, man I should be doing this. Or I really want to go vegan. Or I really want to start yoga. You constantly have this nagging feeling that you should be doing this or doing more.
And I know from experience.
You see other people maybe in a similar field or with a similar idea making big things happen for yourself and now you’re low key envious because you really want those things too. You’re just scared and procrastinating. That is painful.
For years when I was working jobs that weren’t for me, not using my skills, I felt so lost. For years I had the thought that I need to exercise. I need to stop eating so much sugar. But I always had some reason why I wasn’t following through.
Not chasing something you feel in your spirit you need to pursue is painful because that discomfort that you’re feeling is meant to push you forward. You know you’re not aligned. You know you’re not letting your intuition guide you.
Now that I am honoring my vision, I feel a sense of peace. My research and my identity as a scholar is coming together.
And you miss out on that feeling of peace, wholeness, and grounding when you continue to procrastinate and run from your vision.
Another thing, you miss out on building a better relationship with yourself.
Look, I still have so much imposter syndrome, issues with perfectionism, and all that. But these past few years of growth have really helped me build a better relationship with myself. And this looks like, a better relationship with myself means less internal chatter when I need to do things that I am not excited about.
It means I am more confident when I have to write a paper or submit an assignment because I know I can survive and perform under pressure. It looks like eating plants (legumes, grains, fruits, veggies) because that’s what my body needs and deserves.
When you are committed to growing and committing to evolving, that’s what you get access to. You gain access to more confidence and knowing you can do hard things and are capable of doing what is best for yourself and your body as well. When you procrastinate on your dreams, you don’t strengthen you confidence and build a better relationship with yourself in the same way.
The last thing I’ll mention, you miss out on meeting a new version of yourself.
When you procrastinate on your dreams and your goals, you ignore the part of yourself that is trying to blossom. I want you to imagine that you’re a plant or a flower. And you have petals that are trying to open up to show how beautiful and vibrant the flower is. When you procrastinate and ignore that part of yourself that is trying to grow, you stay in that state where your petals aren’t visible.
And you don’t get to see what the other version of yourself looks like, sounds like, and how she feels. You don’t get to consider what she thinks about, and you don’t get to see how she shows up for herself. You don’t get to see what she is going to create and how she cares for her body and the types of new relationships she forms.
I think about myself 5 years ago.
If I had stayed in this cycle of perfectionism and “oh, I ate this one thing that wasn’t vegan so I guess I have to eat a standard American diet.”Or, I didn’t exercise on Monday, so I’m not going to work out at all this week. If I didn’t get a handle on my brain and then my actions, I wouldn’t have met the Shanice that is about to become a PhD candidate, who eats vegan, who practices yoga regularly.
Yes, this Shanice still struggles with perfectionism and fear, but I am much more capable of dealing with it now because I’ve actively put in the work move past it anyway. But if you stay stuck of this cycle of procrastinating and not believing in yourself, you miss out on meeting that person, you don’t get to be that flower, you’re the flower that never blooms.
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