Procrastination.
“It’s not procrastination if I have no intention of ever doing it.”
Moms Got Ink
I was listening to Dr. Laura the other day when a woman called in to get some advice about procrastination. At one point the caller made the statement that she thought she was capable of doing anything she put her mind to.
That seems to be a pretty common mantra in our modern day, and one that many people buy in to. There is only one problem, though, it probably isn’t true. Dr. Laura was quick to point out that no matter how hard she tried Dr. Laura was not ever going to be a gifted physicist. She just did not have the math aptitude to do so.
The caller had to admit that the reason she was probably procrastinating about doing her academic assignments was that she had chosen a subject too challenging for her. As much as she thought she wanted to pursue a career in nursing, she needed to be more honest about not only her ability, but if she really had the true desire to follow through.
It got me to thinking about procrastination, and how it applied to my life. The things I find myself procrastinating about are often things that I tell myself I should be interested in doing. However, in my heart of hearts I know I really don’t want to do them.
Remarkably, when it comes to things that I have a true interest and aptitude for, I’m willing to put in the hard work without procrastinating. Now I do realize that sometimes you just have to muster up the self-discipline to meet obligations even though they may not be your favorite thing to do. I guess that’s all part of being an adult.
As I considered some of the projects that have been simmering on the back burner, I suddenly had one of those aha moments in understanding why I had been procrastinating. At their core they really weren’t something I really wanted to do. I had kind of talked myself into them, thinking that they might just be the next logical step.
If you find yourself procrastinating it might be time to take a second look at a possible reason why. I know for me I’m going to be more aware of what I do, and what I find myself not doing.
“You can chose what you do, but you can’t choose what you like to do.”
Gretchen Rubin
This speaks to me, but one of things I've been procrastinating about is writing a book. So I really need to think about why I think I want to write this book. Part of it is because I'm competitive and there's a best childhood friend of mine who does a bang-up job of writing! I feel I need to keep up with her! So there you have my confession, dear friend. But I still need to think about this goal of mine and whether or not it's truly something I should take on, since being in competition with someone is not a very good reason to do something!
ReplyDeleteYes, let’s talk, because I have struggled with this one too!
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