In 2003, my sister-in-law went in for routine surgery to remove a cyst in her uterus which turned out to be far worse. They discovered malignant tumours which turned out to be ovarian cancer.
When I was writing my first book, “How Ordinary Women Create Extraordinary Change”, she had just gone through this surgery. The moment we found out she was going through this experience, all of our lives changed.
I kept thinking to myself, “why wait?”. “Why do so many of us wait for the “perfect time” to do anything important in our lives?
This thought has stayed with me ever since. Perhaps that is why I feel so compelled sometimes to move fast on ideas and projects that have such great importance. Time is running out.
Although life sure is a long game and we have so much time to make our lives what we truly want them to be, in every aspect, in every area, the truth is that we do not know how much time we truly have.
A client of mine emailed me today to say that she is having a hard time moving forward. She is procrastinating. She is stuck in old patterns, old ideas, old ways of thinking and being.
From my experience working with clients and going through times similar to hers, the only way out of procrastination is through action. Procrastination is the over-thinking game, of “waiting for” the perfect time, the perfect connection, the moment when. But that robs us from living fully today, right now, when life is what we have today, right now.
And looking back at what my sister-in-law was experiencing back then, she too would advise us all not to wait!
If you are feeling stuck and you want to move past procrastination, here is what I suggested to her and what I suggest to you too. As yourself the following questions:
1. What is holding me back from taking action? Is it lack of clarity? Lack of motivation? Lack of support? Lack of accountability?
2. What did I say I really wanted? What action did I take? (Celebrate what you did do).
3. What did I say I really wanted that may have changed?
4. What action(s) can I take right now, today, to move forward? One action!
5. Once you have taken action, write to me and tell me what you did. I want to know. Do one thing!!
Start by answering these questions and give yourself the space and time to gain clarity.
Struggling? Reach out to me. I’m here to help.
You may also like a Facebook Live that I did that may help you too. Here’s the link:
VIDEO: “It’s Never Too Early to Start”
Whatever you do, do not wait. It’s never too early to start. It’s your turn. It’s your time. Take action today!
Photo by Uroš Jovičić on Unsplash
