Love Means New Beginnings

If we look to the heavens, experts tell us that Friday was the beginning of a new time for all of us. It marked the start of a new millennium, so to speak. Even though it is not a new year, the stars and planets are aligned and things may seem as though they are changing rapidly these days.

We are told that this is part of some grand design, that this is all on purpose. Some believe it is marking a long countdown to our destruction, while some believe it marks the start of global change towards peace.

We all want peace and yet, it sometimes seems like it is not within reach. But some believe that even at this slow pace it will take 20 years to have world peace. That seems a long way off, but it is closer than it has ever been in our lifetime.

However, the future is uncertain, and we must focus on the present moment. It is time to awaken to new levels of purpose. We must continue to work on having peace within us and with all our neighbours. That energy will extend out into the world. When we are on purpose, we are better able to contribute to world peace.

Yesterday, May 21st, marked a new moon which is about new beginning as well. Perhaps, you are tired of new beginnings. However, they are a good thing. We can start from a clean slate and create whatever we want next. What is it that you want next?

One day, you may be struck by one of those legendary moments of clarity, like a bolt of lightning, and suddenly realise that you ned to drop everything and follow your real passions.

Sometimes, it seems like we can barely keep up with what is on our plate now. But our purpose and passion can continue to evolve and those of you who have been following the blog for a while, will have seen my work grow and change. Our purpose evolves as we do. Eventually all the pieces fit together.

Here are some tips to get an idea of what is going on with you:

• If you feel like you are stagnant, it is a sign that there is more for you to do ( i.e., a new level to your purpose is on the horizon).
• If you feel like you are unable to keep up with all that is being thrown your way, it is a sign to slow down and listen to what is priority. It is a good time to set better boundaries and maintain them. There may also be a new level to your purpose showing up, so it is important to take time to be still and trust that all can be handled in a time line that works for your soul.

When I discovered that procrastination was such a big obstacle to so many of my readers, I did not hesitate to get working on an article to help you. The bottom line is that when you spot an opportunity, or when you have the desire to make a change in your life, you must go to work immediately. Don't let anything get in your way.

If you are goal-orientated like me, always have lofty explicit goals and visualise them intensely. Assume the attitude that if you don't reach your goals, you will literally die! This type of gun-to-your-head forced focus, survival pressure mindset, no matter how briefly used, stimulates your mind, forces you to use your time effectively, and illuminates new ways of getting things done.

How to beat procrastination

It was a question I've been receiving almost every day since I opened my blog.

"What is the best way to deal with the issues of perfectionism and procrastination?" asked Wendy J in an email last week.

A few days later, Lukas F. wrote, "I'm looking for perfection with the stuff that I do, and that paralyzes the starting process. Any advice to get over the fact that starting something won't be perfect?"

And just one day earlier, Mary K. asked, "How do you maintain focus? I'm a polymath, and it can be a challenge to see things through. I struggle staying focused on a single project."

All of these questions speak to the same ubiquitous obstacle in the way of success for thousands of my readers, and millions of people around the world.

How can they beat procrastination?

When I look at all the folks asking me for help on this topic, I can't help but think, "Wow, just think of all the amazing accomplishments that would occur if all these people could just beat the procrastination monster. I have to do something about this."

Today, the problem is a multi-headed dragon more than ever before, a true mythological hydra. From constant social media updates to email addiction to multi-tasking on the multiple work projects you have, procrastination is easier than ever.

Cut off one head and another appears.

There are few proven solutions, but they do exist. It takes a little bit of planning and a lot of knowing your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can leverage what works and minimize what doesn't. But one word of warning, be careful with your planning techniques and keep them simple, because too often I see my readers turn planning into its own perverse form of procrastination.

If procrastination is an issue for you, then let's change that starting right now. Don't wait a minute longer in learning how to tame the beast. Let's start by looking at what I do.

Reading mails from my readers are my favourite part of the workday, but I don't do them until I've gotten one big project done in my day.

Each morning I get up and go directly to writing. I force myself to sit at my kitchen table for 60 minutes, practically glueing my butt to my chair in order to crank out valuable content each day.

For example, this article was scheduled to be written between 4am and 5am yesterday. The article had to be completed before I was able to go for my bike ride in the country, for my morning workout.

In order to finish my mission, I forced myself to sit in my chair without the distractions of social media, internet surfing, or text messages (not that many of my friends are even up at this time anyway – one of the benefits of being early to rise).

Sometimes sitting in that chair is uncomfortable. You may feel you want to quit. Heck, you might even feel you don't even want to start. But each word typed is a victory. Each sentence a battle won. Each paragraph is a huge step in conquering the procrastination demon.

For me it's easier because this is my passion, but I also knew there was no other time in my schedule for finishing this article. But because I know when my magic time is, and because I understand the power of the deadline, I knew that I would be able to take action and get this done - almost robotically - during the allotted sixty minutes. This is the benefit of knowing your strengths and leveraging them.

If you write in such instances, at first you may find the words struggle to find their proper place on the page, but the only thing that makes writing easier is more writing. That's the big lesson. Action begets action.

It's what you'll find with all activities that you are procrastinating on. Scientific research supports it. The only thing that helps you overcome procrastination is to actually do the thing you are procrastinating about. That's it. You must take action. You may need to do so robotically. It may be unpleasant, but that's why you're procrastinating, isn't it?

Action is the simplest way to avoid procrastination. Get up and throw yourself into the battle. You must know your top priority and attack it with great energy.

This, of course, is not a magic silver bullet answer. After all, it's not so much that you don't know what to do, it's that you have a hard time putting the knowledge into practice.

The solutions are simple. We should get up early, work hard, and avoid things that waste time in our lives. Yes, it is easier said than done, but to be honest, reading another time management book is not the answer.

The real answer is that we must force ourselves to do the work. We must avoid the "chattering mind". It's really that simple. In order to get something done, you must first get started. In order to complete the project, you must do everything that needs to get done. It's not rocket science. It's persistence.

How do you end procrastination? Just start. There's no other answer. In fact, that was the scientific conclusion of a 'how to beat procrastination' research study I once read.

Don't let information gathering become your procrastination. Don't let planning become your procrastination. If you're like me, implement more structure into your life and you'll get more done and you'll have more freedom. I promise you.

In the end, the decision to move to action comes from what some experts describe as "behavioural congruence". This means that you act in accordance with what you want to accomplish.

For example, if you say that you want to be on time for work every day, but you stay up well past an appropriate bedtime and you don't have your morning routine planned out, and you hit the snooze button five times, none of that is acting in behavioural congruence with your goals.

Frankly, most people just don't think about behavioural congruence. They are reactive, instead of being proactive.

You can start to solve this problem by creating a clear set of personal philosophies that guide your life.

At the risk of giving you another opportunity to procrastinate, create your own personal philosophy list. This list of "rules" (you can also call them the "big ideas" for your life) will help you guide your decisions and actions. They will help you live behaviourally congruent with your goals. They will reduce stress and improve performance.

Your personal philosophies are the core foundation of your success and will guide you towards a life well lived. The most successful people I know all have their own personal philosophies, whether they know it or not.

Make it easy on yourself by writing yours down. These rules for living will help you kick procrastination to the curb and will improve your time management because the list will identify what is important to you.

Get started there, and then continuously work to improve your behavioural congruence in all aspects of your life.

Naturally everyone is different, but it is from this structure that you will have more freedom in your life. It sounds paradoxical, but I assure you, the better the rules you have in place for your life, the more freedom you will ultimately achieve.

No matter what the world throws at you today, believe you are going to handle it awesomely and you are going to emerge from the day a better and stronger person. There's no better time than the present to start sky-rocketing towards unlimited success in the specific areas of your life you desire to improve. Imagine what could be possible in your life if you tapped into your passion?

Because passion always means new beginnings.

Yours in love,