reframing

PROCRASTINATION: THE GAP BETWEEN INTENTION AND ACTION

Do you know what happens when a procrastinator has a good idea? Nothing! And when a procrastinator has a great plan??? The same thing… NOTHING!

Personally, I am full of good ideas – you have them all the time, too, don’t you? Coming up with a great idea is fun, exhilarating and exciting. I’m a virtual treasure trove of good ideas for myself, for my clients, family and friends. I even have them for the occasional stranger and, of course, for our government officials and presidential candidates!

And, because I’m a coach, I know that every ‘good idea’ has to be backed up with a great plan. With my years of practice, I’m great at coming up with good plans, too -interesting ways to implement my good ideas…

BUT, it’s only when those good ideas and great plans are backed up with commitment, intention, attention, FOCUS and ACTION that anything really happens. Unless I’m truly ready to implement – and committed to having results – it’s an exercise in futility and ‘reasons’ gathering. Without them, a good idea is just a good idea and a good plan is just another good idea. And that, my friends, is why ‘good ideas are a dime a dozen’!

And the biggest block to achieving results? PROCRASTINATION!

PROCRASTINATION IS THE GAP BETWEEN INTENTION AND ACTION.

Procrastinators are magnificent at gathering reasons. When I am in procrastination mode I can list a score of reasons why something I’ve intended to do hasn’t happened yet – or never will. What I can’t do when I’m in that mode is get results. And, while I know that procrastinators (including yours truly) don’t get anything done, it’s knowing WHY we procrastinate – why we have that gap and, of course, what to do about it, that really matters. So, let’s go there…

Welcome to the world of the ‘What ifs’! When we project out into the future… wondering and worrying (making up sad stories about everything that could go wrong) we stop all forward action, create the ‘gap’, and set ourselves up to fail. The more we dwell on the what ifs, the bigger the gap and, the bigger the gap, the harder it is to build a bridge to get to the other side. We give up before we even start.

AND YOU CAN’T WIN IF YOU DON’T PLAY!

Are you ready to close the gap? Ready to have results instead of reasons? Seriously, ARE YOU REALLY READY? Did I hear a resounding YES??? This is not a someday thing, it’s a NOW thing. Let’s do this…

Share your COMMITMENT! This IS going to happen because you won’t put up with anything less. You won’t stop until it’s a done deal. You are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get your intended outcome. Make the commitment real by ‘casting it’ in the proverbial stone. Declare it out loud!

What’s your INTENTION? Describe it out loud; write it on a sign, tell someone who will hold you accountable. Say it over and over. Picture it done. Remind yourself of your big WHY… why is this important to you? Intend to win!

Be deliberate about what you say and don’t say, what you do and what you are avoiding doing, what you notice around you and what you’re thinking. (If your thoughts aren’t supporting you, notice that and replace those negative thoughts NOW.) Channel your ATTENTION onto everything around you that can be called into play to support you. Close the gap. Reign in the resources!

FOCUS on your objective. Let your natural instincts lead you (or google your brain for a roadmap). Stay focused. Stuff is going to come up (it always does), notice it and get right back to your objective. Close the gap. Let nothing distract you. Be the postman who delivers… no matter what!

Take ACTION (not ‘later’, not ‘when you know more’, not when you ‘feel ready’, not when you think you can). Do it NOW!

You have lots of good ideas… lots of plans… now close the gap and get the results!

It’s RAINING resources… Find ‘em and REIGN in yours!

There is always so much around us – all the time – stuff that begs to be discovered and used by us…. And, so often, we simply don’t see it; or if we ‘see’ it we don’t realize that it’s ours for the taking. There are opportunities we miss, experiences we avoid, people we don’t engage with and ‘no’s’ that stop us – instead of inspiring us. What if it’s true that everything we ‘need’ is right here – right now? What if you actually saw your world that way? What if you stopped ‘seeking’ stuff and let the ‘finder’ in you take charge? What if your awareness was so BIG and so broad that you recognized the resources around you and used them? Are you smiling yet?

Years ago, when I worked and coached at a wonderful company called Process Prodigy, my focus was on creating systems to make our clients’ lives easier and their businesses more profitable. The systems were the proverbial ‘giving them the fish to eat for a day’. But of even more value was teaching them to recognize and reign in resources that they didn’t even know they had. Now they could “eat for a lifetime”!

Our clients learned how to delegate when there was seemingly no one to delegate to, to use systems to get more done in less time, and generally how to create a better life and build a more profitable business using whatever was available! First, of course, though I’m not sure that I realized it at the time, people had to learn to “see” and identify the resources around them.

And it was that ‘history’ of mine that led me to this blog… to identify the ‘steps’ I’ve used to become aware of the amazing resources I have. Now it’s time to share some of them with you!

As usual, the first step is AWARENESS. I expect to find resources, so I’m constantly looking for them, open to them and noticing possibilities and opportunities at every turn of my head. It might be a penny on the street (walked on and over by countless others), a for-sale sign, or a new acquaintance that ‘knows somebody who knows somebody’; all are potential resources. All are on my radar.
Although I hesitate to use the term ‘think outside the box’, it is what I do. I take little at ‘face value’ and ponder (there’s a word we don’t use very often) what else could that be used for or what else could that mean?
It’s formulate the questions time! I know that my brain, my always busy mind, is my GREATEST RESOURCE so I use it – I ‘google’ it – with a barrage of open ended, positively formed questions and wait for the answers to start flowing. They always do…
I love the California lottery slogan, “you can’t win if you don’t play”… so I play! Commonly heard from my lips: “Let’s give it a shot! Let’s make it happen! Sounds good to me! I’m IN! Let’s do this thing!”
ASK!!! I don’t hesitate to ask – anyone… anything! I ask for help. I ask for suggestions. I ask for what I want. I ask for what I need. It’s amazing how supportive Universe and its inhabitants can be! Asking gets me so much! might be the perfect parking spot or (and I swear this really happened) a huge discount on a new car…sometimes it’s a new client, much needed information or a date. It’s even gotten me the mentor of my dreams!
NO isn’t the end. It is not a stop sign for me. I see a “NO” simply as an opportunity to get creative and try something else. There is no failure for me. When something doesn’t ‘work’ I get inspired and fired up. There’s always another way…
I VALUE the resources I have and I’m GRATEFUL for them all. It’s not unusual to hear me thank my car (who’s name, by the way, is ‘Coach’) for getting me safely and comfortably from place to place. The people in my life are amazing. I know it and I let them know it, too. Even when I am feeling ‘technologically challenged’ there is gratitude for all that technology affords me.

Money, time, people, ideas, tools; all the resources I have… I am grateful and humbled by their magnitude and magnificence!

Want more? Are you ready to create your own system for reigning in your multitude of resources? That’s the topic this week on Motivate and Activate, your source (make that RESOURCE) for weekly Coaching and Conversation. (More info and registration details at: https://whatdoisaywhatdoido.com)

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

a message from Sandye Linnetz

I have always hated waiting. I’m the quick and impatient type, always moving, doing – in action. I was never very good at waiting. What a waste of my precious, limited time! How unproductive! How boring!

You know what I’m talking about. Waiting for the train to pass or the light to change… You have place a to go and people to see! Waiting in line at the store… You have far more important things to do! Waiting for your appointment when you got there on time! Being left on hold when you have an important question… or answer… or problem. Waiting for that repair person to show up or the mail or that phone call can be hell on earth! Some of you might even have issues with waiting for a slow speaker to finish a sentence or for the other person to ‘get the concept’.

And then there are the BIG waits: Did I get the job? Where’s the acceptance letter? What are the test results? Is it a boy or a girl? When will THIS be over?

Whoa. Hold on there. WAIT a minute! (oops, sorry ‘bout that) Perhaps we would all benefit from a little ‘waiting coaching’. If we could train ourselves to wait – and wait patiently – maybe we would even (dare I say it?) learn to enjoy waiting.

Ready for a shift? Think of yourself as a student who’s been working hard on long division all period long. And envision waiting as recess time. Remember the thrill of the recess bell? We all loved recess, didn’t we? It’s time to go back to those glorious days and relish the break – take charge of it and make waiting your play time.

Decide how you will use your time; will you use it to BE or as a time to DO? Using your time management skills you could do some strategic planning. Make lists. Make that phone call or write that email. On a more cerebral level: meditate, pray, really look around – wherever you are – and appreciate what is.

It’s all about ‘reframing’ what is… reframe the annoying wait so that it becomes an opportunity to…

Make the shift from annoyance to relaxation and get good at waiting.

Thought for the day: If you are waiting for a change… stop waiting! Go all Nike on it. Just do it.