One Step to Stop Procrastination

“Great people are inspired by the hope of success instead of a fear of failure.”

Why do you procrastinate? The root cause for most people is fear. Fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of the unknown are the most common root causes of delay. I once had a client who demonstrated these fears whenever we would speak. 

I would suggest that she hire on additional staff to support her growing business, and she would remind me of state of the economy. I would encourage her to attend an out-of-town business convention, and she would mention the risk of airplane travel. I told her to raise her prices, and she told me how her customers were impacted by the unemployment rate. 

Her fear was causing her to procrastinate. Where was this fear coming from? 

If you implement the following step, you can overcome the fears that lead to procrastination. 

Stop Watching the News 
My client began each day by watching the morning news. She got a steady diet of everything that is wrong with the world. Imagine if every morning you participated on a one hour conference call on the topics of bankruptcy, unemployment, poverty and foreclosures. How would that impact your mood? 

Watching the morning news is the equivalent of participating on a bad news conference call every day. 

Negativity and controversy is what sells, so the news media has a motivation to present this to you. Negativity is what moves the needle. For example, I have a speaker friend who hosted a morning radio show. His topics were very inspiring an uplifting. He would ask his listeners to call in, but received very few calls. 

One particular day he tried an experiment. He changed his format by discussing very edgy and controversial topics. He deliberately adopted a negative focus. His phone lines lit up like never before. His program was flooded with phone calls. 

There is a strong demand for negative information, so the media outlets stay in business by delivering bad news. 

Change Your Diet
It’s a proven fact that a change in direction requires a change in diet. If you are moving in the direction of physical health, maintaining the same junk food diet you always had would be counter productive. 

The same holds true for your mental diet. As you move in the direction of your goals, a consistent menu of fear and failure will cause you to procrastinate. 

I believe that the best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a better one. During the time that you would normally watch the news, watch an inspirational program or video instead. Read a book or listen to an audio program that inspires you. 

I invite you to take the following Twiggs Challenge: For the next 30 days, commit to the habit of NOT watching the news. At the end of the 30-day period, feel free to email me at eric@ericmtwiggs.com to update me on how you feel. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner
www.ericmtwiggs.com 

Motivational Message: What Drives You?

This week I share a short video that will inspire you to find your true purpose and passion in life. Time is best spent doing what you love. 

Sincerely,
Eric Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. My ebook, One Moment in Time, will help you find and focus on your passions. It's is now available for download on my website. 

How to Avoid the Al Bundy Syndrome

In 1987, The Fox network launched a popular sitcom called Married with Children. This was a show about a dysfunctional family of four living in a Chicago suburb led by patriarch Al Bundy. 

Al had an unfulfilling career as a seller of women’s shoes and was always down on his luck. He was constantly disrespected by his wife and kids, and seemed resigned to his fate of being unhappy. A constant theme on the show was Al’s recollection of his high school glory days. 

He was always remembering this time in his life when he was the big man on campus. His favorite story to tell was the one where he scored four touchdowns in one game to help his football team win the state championship. Al spent more time reflecting on the past than he did planning for the future. I call this habit the “Al Bundy Syndrome”. 

Where's your focus? If you spend most of your time dwelling on a past result or relationship, then you are just like Al. Without a plan for the future, you end up with a present reality that leaves you unhappy. So where should your focus be? 

1. Your Passions
How would you spend your time if money was not an issue? If you woke up tomorrow morning with $50 million dollars in the bank and had the luxury of only doing what you loved, how would that change your schedule? 

For example, I am passionate about public speaking. With this in mind, I started to make future plans that gave me opportunities to practice my passion. I joined Toastmasters and taught classes at my local church. The more time I devoted to public speaking, the more doors opened to allow me to speak at a higher level. Using my passion as a starting point allowed me to move from speaking for free to speaking for a fee. 

2. Your Purpose
A member of my church just celebrated his 90th birthday. His sons threw him a surprise party where hundreds of people got together and said all of these great things about him and his life. He then took a moment to speak to everyone and told the audience about the accomplishments that made him most proud. 

Imagine that you can fast forward to your 90th birthday celebration. Who would be there and what would they say about you? What would you tell the audience about your life? Completing this exercise will help you to gain clarity on your life’s purpose. 

Al Bundy lacked a plan for the future, so past glory is all he had left. Even if you are married with children, knowing your passions and purpose will allow you to avoid the Al Bundy Syndrome. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. If you would like more strategies on pursuing your passion, download my ebook, One Moment in Time. 

Two Questions That Will Move You From Procrastination to Prosperity

Years ago, I was recruited to participate in a multi-level marketing business that boasted unlimited income potential. I went to the initial meeting and noticed that several people who had less business experience than I  appeared to be doing very well. Unfortunately, I did not experience the same success. 

Looking back, I realize that procrastination played a major role in my failure to achieve my goals. The people that experienced success dedicated their evenings and weekends to growing the business. They passionately hit the road five nights a week, while I came up with reasons to be too busy. Why didn’t I have the same drive? 

My only motivation for getting into the business was to make more money. As a result, I was not willing to make the necessary sacrifices and put in the time required to be great. 

There are two questions that you should ask yourself before starting a career or business. Asking yourself these questions will move you from procrastination to prosperity.

1: Do you Have a Passion for the Product?
In his book The Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell introduced the “10,000-Hour Rule”. According to his research, it takes an individual 10,000 hours of deliberate practice at a specific skill or activity to become world class at it. If you lack the passion, you will be more likely to procrastinate, than to become world class. According to my math, if you work at your chosen craft for 50 hours a week for 4 years, you will have put in over 10,000 hours. Are you willing to invest that kind of time and effort into something that you don’t love? 

2: Does The Business Fit Your Personality?
Modern psychology tells us that everyone falls into one of the four basic personality types: Driver, Motivator, Analytical, and Supporter. Below is a brief description of each type:

1. Driver – This is also known as a “Type A” personality. A Driver likes to be in control, is results driven, a risk taker and makes quick decisions. Successful CEO’s and entrepreneurs fit this profile. This personality type is a good fit for leadership positions.
2. Motivator – The motivator is the social butterfly that is easy to like and a strong communicator. They are very persuasive and like to engage in conversation. Motivators do well in positions that involve public speaking, coaching or selling.
3. Analytical – The Analytic likes facts, statistics and data. When making decisions, they take time to analyze the facts and don’t jump to conclusions. Positions that involve research, accounting and analysis are a good fit for this personality type.
4. Supporter – Supporters are easy to like, people pleasers, and avoid confrontation at all costs. They prefer to focus on one task at a time and work at a slow pace. Positions that have high stability, low risk and repetitive tasks  work best for the supporter.

So, there you have it. If you have a passion for the product, and your personality is a fit for the business, you will move from procrastination to prosperity. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. If you found this to be helpful, please share it using the buttons at the bottom of the page. 

Get in the Fast Lane to Achieve Your Goals in Life

“If you can see it, you can be it. If you can view it, you can do it. Vision is the first step to victory”

The ultimate goal of every college basketball team is to win the NCAA championship. When a team accomplishes its goal, players celebrate by cutting down the basketball nets. This is a tradition that has become symbolic of success. In 1983, Coach Jim Valvano of North Carolina State put a different twist on this trend. 

At the beginning of his tenure, NC State was a struggling program that had never won the big prize. There was no reason for the players to believe that they could do it. During his very first practice, Valvano told his team that they would win the championship that year. This idea seemed so ridiculous that several of the players laughed to themselves. 

After practice was over, Valvano did something that seemed to take ridiculous to a new level. He had his players cut down the nets in there own gym, so that they could see and feel what it was like to celebrate a championship victory. They continued this habit throughout the ‘83 season, which ended with NC State shocking the world by winning the NCAA championship! 

During the post game interviews, the players admitted that the exercise of practicing their victory celebration made them believe that they could do it. In their minds, they saw themselves succeeding, so when it happened it was like deja vu! Now, what does this have to do with you? 

Is Your Glass Half Full?
Like the 83’ team, your present condition is a direct result of your past thoughts.  Studies show that with all things being equal, and optimist will out perform a pessimist in a job or business situation by as much as 50%. The reason for this is the fact that the thoughts that you dwell on become your reality. 

In other words, having habitual thoughts of fear and doubt is the equivalent of praying for what you don’t want! The question becomes, how can you use the power of visualization to put you in the fast lane to achieving your goals in life? 

Write Out Your Perfect Day
Writing out your perfect day in detail will help to create a strong visual picture in your mind. The following outline will assist you in putting your perfect day on paper:

1. Who is present?
2. What specific goal do you accomplish?
3. How Do You Feel?
4. What do you do to celebrate the accomplishment of this goal?

The goal should be achievable, but at the same time, cause you to stretch beyond your current grasp. If you commit to this exercise, you will wake up in your prefect day and put yourself in the fast lane to the achievement of your goals. I congratulate you in advance as you cut down the nets! 

Sincerely,
Eric M Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. For additional information on how to achieve you goals in life, download my ebook, One Moment in Time.