Procrastination - Part 1

Procrastination. Even the word sounds like something you’d be suspended from school for, or worse, like something against the law. I can imagine a jury coming back with a guilty verdict: we, the jury, find the defendant guilty of PROCRASTINATION. All those syllables. All those harsh sounds. It’s a horrible word. I heard the greatest line that turns that word upside down for me – it’s a real 180 degree way of thinking about that word. I wish I knew who said it. “Procrastination isn’t about laziness – it’s about fear.”

Fear? Wow. Fear is a feeling that inspires compassion. Creative people often bump against this thing we call procrastination. And when you’re doing anything other than that thing you really want to be doing – and you’re convincing yourself that it has to be done before you can begin that thing you really want to be doing – you know what I mean - cleaning the car, making new itune lists, cleaning out your closet (even if you’re donating stuff to charity) and on and on… you are staring procrastination right in the face. (this, by the way, is different than cleaning out and clearing the space in your work area and your mind to allow creativity to flow best – that’s another blog!) You know what it feels like, right? It feels like something is happening to you. It feels like an invisible force field is holding you back from what you really want, or like some alien being has taken over your brain or free will. It feels like you just can’t stop yourself. Or, actually start your self. Fear, hmmm. Here are some powerful questions that will make you rethink procrastination: What does fear mean to you? What if you knew what you were afraid of? What if you had compassion for yourself? And what if you could move through the fear anyway? What would that be like? What would that eel like? Think about this…I’d love to hear about it. More on the fear underneath procrastination soon! xo