In my latest book, Life 2.0 – A New Beginning, there is a chapter called Defeating the Seven Giants. One of those giants is procrastination.
Procrastination is a giant I have wrestled with many times throughout my life. As I discuss in the book, there are many reasons people put things off. For some, it’s the fear of failure. After all, if you never start, you can never fail…right?
For others, it’s perfectionism. This is the tendency to wait until every detail is perfect and all the stars align before taking action. The problem is that perfect conditions rarely exist.
There are several other causes of procrastination, but for me, these two have been especially familiar.
The book offers practical strategies for overcoming procrastination and moving toward your goals, but before we talk about solutions, I think it’s important to consider what procrastination is actually costing you.
One of my favorite quotes comes from John Maxwell:
“You can pay the price now, or you can pay the price later, but you will always pay the price.”
My friends, make no mistake—there is always a price to be paid for doing nothing.
Missed Opportunities – Doors close while you’re still “thinking about it.”
Increased Stress – The longer you wait, the heavier the burden becomes.
Stalled Growth – Your dream remains on the drawing board instead of becoming reality.
Lost Confidence – Every time you fail to act, you reinforce the belief that you can’t.
The book goes on to explore strategies for breaking the cycle of procrastination, but before any strategy can work, you must first recognize the problem for what it is and make a firm decision that it ends today.
As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is today.
The same is true for your goals, your dreams, and your future.
The question is not whether you can afford to take action.
The question is: Can you afford not to?
It’s your decision. Your life. Your dream.
Choose wisely.