DO IT NOW

The Do It Now Habit

 AY stainless is a client of mine who has told me about her dreams. She
wants to be a musician. She was stunned when ask her “Why do you
procrastinate?

Procrastination is a major complain I get from clients who are not
determined enough to achieve their dreams against all odds. Often
times, they complain they don’t have enough time, money, resources, or
enough contacts. Excuses don’t change the outcome.

In some cases, clients blame others for their woes and failures. The
government has not provided an environment where businesses can
thrive. Banks do not dole out loans to start-up entrepreneurs. These
some reasons why some people do not succeed. But some succeed in this
same condition. The difference between the successful and the failures
in this scenario is based on their thoughts and actions.


Think positively. At times, the reason people procrastinate is
negative self-talk. In Karate, you need to defeat your opponent in
your mind before you lift your fist, otherwise, you may be defeated.
For a moment, see yourself accomplishing that task that you have been
postponing. You can do it, if you think you can.

Make the law of inertia work for you. A body at rest will remain at
rest, and a body in motion will continues to move.  Learn to take the
first step. A Chinese proverb says that “A journey of 10 000 miles
begins with a step.”

Move that move. Stand on the cliff and jump. If your dream is to be a
musician, go to the studio and do some recording. In most cases,
producers will like to see your ‘demo.’ Make that call, send that text
message. Just take the first step and you will be forced to keep
moving.

Have a red-hot desire. One of the basics of becoming successful is the
desire to become successful. How ‘bad’ do you want to be a comedian,
or a make up artiste? How ‘bad’ do you want to be a celebrity or a
superstar? If you don’t really desire to achieve that dream, then look
for something else that fascinates you. Dr. Myles Munroe advises, “The
proof of desire is pursuit.”

Ditch your fears. We all have faith and fears. Feed your faith and
your fears will be starved. It is normal to fear failure. You may be
wondering, “What if my music does not sell?” or “What if I loose the
lump sum of money I will invest in that business?” Remember that most
of your fears never happen.

Fail forward. When one fails at a project, it shapes his/her
perspective. You can begin to fear that anything you do might probably
fail. When you stretch yourself, you become a different person. It is
not the goal that you achieve that counts, who you become while
pursing that goal also matters. Christopher Columbus discovered
America when he was looking for red Indians.
Feed your faith. Surprisingly, some people dread success. If you
become successful, you will have more influence on the people around
you. You could come up with an orphanage, or something worthwhile. You
will be able to, in the words of Michael Jackson, “heal the world and
make it a better place, for me and for you and the entire human race.”

Follow your heart. Don’t pursue a dream that doesn’t inspire you. At
times, you might be tempted to do what others are doing. Something
like “My friend is a presenter, so I have to be a presenter. Some
people do not really know what they want. Don’t live the life of
another person. Live your own life.

Focus on one thing only. You cannot do ten things in a day, but you
can do one thing everyday for ten days. When you procrastinate,
activities may pile up, and become difficult to handle. Don’t be
overwhelmed by all the things you want to do. Take a step at a time.

Divide and conquer. How do you eat an elephant? You cut into pieces.
When you are faced with a complex task, you might get confused,
because of the complexity. Break that task into small, manageable
tasks. Make it easy for yourself to achieve your dreams. Life is too
short to overlabour yourself.

These are tips I shared with my client. In conclusion, I advised her
to strike when the iron is hot. Take two steps today that will take
you closer to your dreams. Have a lovely weekend ahead of you.

Agbolade Omowole runs interpersonal skills trainings for corporate
organizations.

E-mail: nigeriaslifecoach@gmail.com
Blog: www.101youngentrepreneurs.blogspot.com