Stop Procrastinating!

Stop Procrastinating!

Procrastination is the KILLER OF DREAMS! Think about that for a moment...my guess is that you already know it to be true but you (like many others) still have a problem ridding your life of this beast.

Procrastination is a nasty habit that we let "slip" into our lives mostly unnoticed and then it burrows itself deep into our daily habits thus making it harder and harder to extricate from our lives.

Think about it for a moment. Why do I say that we let procrastination "slip" into our lives mostly unnoticed? It likely begins at an early age when we are told to do our chores and we get lost in watching cartoons or playing outside or whatever it may be. We put it off until later. This slowly becomes a habit in our lives - we can just do it later.

How many of you do the same thing today? This is a "practical examination" of how much procrastination has a hold on our lives. How many of you, right now, have something at home that needs to be done that you intended to do yesterday? My guess is - most of us if not ALL of us!

Here's a simple step to take to begin to remove procrastination from your life - DO IT!

You see, many times we try to associate procrastination to those things that we really dislike, such as doing our taxes. BUT, in reality, it takes place with everyday activities and not just the biggies!

So, again, here's the simple step - DO IT! Just take action!

ACTION IS THE CURE FOR PROCRASTINATION!

Start doing this RIGHT NOW - regardless of where you are and see what happens. This is something that you will have to ACTIVELY pursue to make happen - is it worth it to you? (Remember, procrastination is the KILLER of dreams!)

When there is something that you need to do - DO IT! Don't wait, don't put it off until later in the day or evening - DO IT!

You see, this is how procrastination works...we keep putting it off until later and later and later and then - it's so late that all we want to do is go to bed. So then, we'll do it in the morning before we go to work (we know better) and then it begins all over again for another day.

"Oh, but when I get home from work I just want to kick back and relax first before I have to do anything else."

Why not try this new approach - DO IT ANYWAY before you kick back and relax! Go ahead and get done what needs to get done - COMPLETELY and THEN kick back and relax.

Think about this - if you are DONE with all of that, won't you actually be able to kick back and relax even more completely now? Sure you will! You won't keep thinking, "Oh, I need to get up and go do that" and you won't keep feeling bad for NOT doing it.

YOU WILL BE DONE and then you truly CAN enjoy the rest of your evening!

Start now. Start today. So, again, RIGHT NOW if there is something even at your work that you need to finish (that you KNOW you can finish if you'd just do it) - then DO IT and stop harming your focus, your confidence, your joy, your professionalism and your dreams.

True, it happens one step at a time and one day at a time...but it must begin and it MUST begin TODAY!

And, just think what an AWESOME day it will be as you make progress through those things that you have set back for so long! So, yes, in the process, you have the ability to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

The "Little, Big Word" - IF

Two letters.

Small word.

Two letters...but one of the biggest words in our vocabulary!

If.

"If I had only..."

How many of us say things like this in our lives from time to time? At the end of chapter 15 of Napoleon Hill's classic, "Think & Grow Rich" he covers 57 "ifs" that many use as "alibis" (I'd say excuses) as to why they have failed to accomplish one thing or another with and in their lives.

Again, I strongly urge you to get a copy of this book one way or another and go over this list yourself - one at a time - and consider their impact in YOUR life! (I do mention each one of them in today's podcast, but too quickly for you to give each the thought needed).

I was watching the video segment that comes with the audio/DVD in each copy of SUCCESS magazine from last month and, in it, Les Brown uses a very powerful phrase..."Live full and die empty!" (I think he has a whole program based on that phrase - you can check it out yourself).

Think about that - "Live full and die empty". Yet, Mr. Brown points out the fact that most people do the opposite. They "die full and live empty". Ouch!

I have to admit that I have done this most of my life - and I regret it! I will be turning 50 years old this coming November and I feel that I have yet to fully LIVE my life!

Here's the kicker - it's never to late to make a change! I made a decision within the past year that I was going to live my life so that, if at all possible, I would not get to the END of my life saying, "I wish I had done this and that...".

All of us need to stop allowing the word "if" to become a roadblock to our forward progress! YOU do have the ability to do just that! YOU, and no one else.

What will YOU do?

Instead of, "If I had done..." what about taking a different look and start saying, "What if I DID step up and out and move forward?"

We will begin to look at this thought in next weeks podcast as we bring to a conclusion our discussions on this classic book.

Until then....remember to...

"Make it an AWESOME Day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

TERRIFIC TUESDAY- "Decision: The Mastery of Procrastination"

There it is. That "P" word. PROCRASTINATION!

Does that word make you shudder? I'm not sure if I've ever met ANYONE that didn't struggle with procrastination - putting things off until later. Waiting until later before making a decision or taking action.
The problem? The TIME for ACTION never comes...it just keeps on getting moved on to "later".

As we begin discussion of chapter 8 in the Napoleon Hill classic, "Think & Grow Rich" I want you to consider how much better our lives would be if we would finally conquer procrastination. This chapter will give you some SPECIFIC ideas to consider in this process but, as is true with everything else, these thoughts and ideas will do no good unless put into action.

THE WEALTH MINDSET vs. THE POOR MINDSET

Let's take a look at these two categories discussed in this chapter and notice the characteristics of decision making that attach themselves to each of these mindsets.

*makes decisions quickly* *makes decisions (if at all) SLOWLY*
*changes decision (if at all) SLOWLY)* *changes decision quickly & often*



Being completely honest with yourself, which column fits you?

For most of us, the right side - the POOR MINDSET - fits us more often than not! We hesitate to make decisions due to the fear of "what if I fail". We wait, we procrastinate and then, if and when we DO make a decision we are QUICK to change it at the first sign of trouble, set-back or perceived failure!

Those with the WEALTH MINDSET are CONFIDENT in their decisions. Yes, they have done their homework and they do not make the decision without thought - but they are not AFRAID to make that decision or are they afraid of any possible "failure". They withstand the temptation to "bail" on their plans at the first sign of trouble - they "stay the course" many times seeing their decision pay off when others have already "jumped ship".

WOW! Does that challenge you like it does me?

Another factor that we allow to play a big role in our decisions (or the lack thereof) is OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS! We will be discussing this in greater depth in Wednesday's podcast - but we ALL deal with this from time to time. Perhaps it is a spouse or other family member or friends. But they ALL have opinions (and seem to always feel the necessity to share them with us) on why we shouldn't move forward on a decision.

As I mention in the podcast, there are several different versions of the following thought, but this is one of the "cleaner" ones I've heard: "Opinions are like armpits....everyone has them, and THEY ALL STINK!"

Yeah, you know from experience EXACTLY what I mean, don't you? We'll discuss that more in tomorrow's podcast - be sure to join me for it and, until then...

"Make it an AWESOME DAY! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Magical Monday - STOP WAITING!

I want to encourage you to be sure to listen to today's podcast entitled, "Stop Waiting". This is the first point of five that are included in the FREE REPORT that you can request at my website (http://www.futureyouuniversity.com/). I will be using these five points for my podcasts this week and, part of next.

Due to that, I'm not going to write a lot here about the podcast - get the report and read what is there along with listening to the podcast. However, PLEASE - I'd love to hear any additional thoughts that may come to your mind on these things. Send them to me at: mike@futureyouuniversity.com

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BIG SEMINAR PROMOTION ANNOUNCEMENT coming

this Wednesday, April 22nd!!
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You don't want to miss this! Also, please be thinking about some of the things concerning this first seminar event. I NEED YOU! I will be calling you to action on a few things in connection to this first event - so please be ready to hear the announcement and be ready to go into action.

Make today "magical" - it is YOUR choice!

Remember...

"As long as there is breath - there is hope."

And, don't forget to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike Spillman