Procrastination, a cancer to success!

The single most dangerous obstacle to our success.

In anything we do in our lives we have the tendency

to procrastinate. Most of the problems that one

faces in life are a procrastination issue. It's

all related to procrastination. Putting things off....
Procrastination is a habit just like doing it now is

a habit!!! Ok this is a question and anwser format.

It's really good! Read it through carefully:

Question : "Procrastination seems to be a Universal

fact of life, shouldn't we just accept it as part of

human nature and let it go at that?"

Anwser: "Have you ever heard anybody say: That's just

me, that's who I am... I can't help it! ... Not at all.

Some people do, of course. But they generally turn out

to be the ones defeated by life"

Question: "But when something is so wide-spread isn't

it rather pointless to fight it?"

Anwser: "No. Disease is wide-spread but we don't shrug

our shoulders and ignore it do we. The important thing

is not how wide-spread a problem is but whether

something can be done about it and in the case of

procrastination, it can!"

Question: "Are you sure! Where is the evidence that this

problem can be overcome?"

Anwser: "The evidence is found in the life of every

succesfull human being. Succesfull people do not

procrastinate. At least in matters relating to their

field of achievement. It's as simple as that.

Procrastination prevents success"

Question: "Wait a minute. Surelly you can't mean that

practically everybody admits to being a

procrastinator! It's the common denominator of the

human race"

Anwser: "Not really. It's the common denominator

of people who fail to live up to their potential"

" It's true that nearly everyone will jokely admit

to being a procrastinator but when succesfull

people do so: What they are really saying is that

there are some things that they would have like to

have done that they haven't done and that isn't the

same thing as procrastination."

Question: "Exactly what do you mean by procrastination?"

Anwser: "I mean, postponing something that you know

in your heart should be done now instead of later."

"Learning what to do when you catch yourself commiting

the sin of procrastination is of utmost importance"

Question: " Did you say sin?"

Anwser: "Yes"

Question: "Isn't that putting it a bit strongly.

It's a bad habit admitedly, even a pickadillo,

perhaps, but surelly it can't be called a sin"

Anwser: "It certainly can. As any theologian will

tell you sin commes in two varieties: The sin of a

comission, it's all the attention but the sin of omission,

the second kind of sin that lays eggs under your skin.

The way you get really painfully bitten. Is by the

insurance you haven't taken out. The cheques you haven't

added up, the stubs and appointments you haven't kept and

the bills you haven't paid and the letters you haven't

written."

Question: "OK So procrastination is bad and we should all

try to do something about it. But it still seems that the

inumerable problems be-setting each of us the question of
whether we do something today or tommorow is hardly a

primary concern."

Anwser: "As a matter of a fact it is. So often it's the

key to those other problems large or small. Consider for

example typical procrastinators whose problems are

either created or intensified by delay. Ex:

The compulsive drinker who resolves to call Alcoholics

Anonymous the very next time I have a blackout. The

worker who is going to confront the boss about that

raise when the time is right. The father who plans to

spend some time with his kid when work pressures aren't

so great. The office manager who has some ideas that

would increase efficiency but who's waiting until things

settle down to implement them. The salesman who postpones

a call on a major prospect fear in rejection because the

company hasn't had a good year. The woman whos gonna stop

smoking as soon as I get pregnant. The high-school

student that's going to establish some good study habits

as soon as I get into college. The person who means to

see the doctor about those chest pains but decides to

get caught up at the office first. The nation who plans

to balance it's budget as soon as things get better.

These people and institutions wouldn't see themselves

as having much in common but they share several

things. One: Each has a problem whether large or small.
Two: Each knows what should be done about the problem

and is determined to take a specific action. Three:

However. Each is reluctant to take the action now

promising instead to act at some indetermined time in

the future. Four: Each makes performance of the task

contingent upon something else. They will do it as soon

as, or when, or if, this makes the delay seem temporary

and justifiable. However the contingency is usually just

a convenient excuse instead of a legitimate reason for

delay. What we have is a process of self-delusion.

All varieties of procrastination involve self-delusion

of one kind or another, they involve denial of reality,

refusal to whey penalties and alternatives objectively."

Question: "In other words you are saying that

procrastination is stupid. Rite?"

Anwser: " Exactly. It's a form of gameplaying. An

idiotic gameplaying at that because we ourselves are

invariably the loosers. In the words of the poet

Robert Abraham: Some men die by shrapnel and some go

down in flames. But most men perish inch by inch and

play at little games. Overcoming procrastination means

giving up the games and being honest with ourselves. "

Question: "You mentioned the article about the varieties

of procrastionation. Isn't there just one variety,

namely putting things off?"

Anwser: "No. There is one result. But there are a number

of causes. I think the cause of procrastination can be

grouped into four categories: First are the attitudinal

factors which include such things as: unwillingness to

tolerate discomfort, or unpleasantness, fear of failure

,fear of success, low self-esteem, depresion, boredom,

shiness and feeling of guilt. Second: Are the cognitive

blocks. Such as: Inadequate information, Unclear

priorities, indecision, uncertainty about how to

attack the problem, failure to apprecite the importance

of timely action. Third are environmental conditions or

external factors: They include clutter, disorganization,

noise, un-manageable workloads, diversionairy

activities, lack of needed tools, friends and relatives

who lure one from the chosen task. etc ......Each

instance of procrastination involves one or more of

these. If you can pin down the cause of procrastination

in your case you'll have taken a big step towards

overcoming it and replace it with a habit of prompt

action and it won't be necessary for anyone ever to say

to you: He slept beneath the moon, he basked beneath

the sun, he lived a life of going to do and died with

nothing done"

Question: "So where does one begin with the assault on

procrastination?"

Anwser: "One begins by discarding some of the untentable

prejudices such: such as the belief that one is just

a born procrastinator, the assumption that we are

dealing with an innate character defect that we are

helpless to correct. We must stop excusing ourselves

with a falicious argument that we are the victims of a

genetic and environmental factors that condemn us to

the role of a legenday character that goes through life

a dollar short - a day late."

Question: " But isn't there considerable thruth in some

of it at least? Aren't all of us born with certain

weaknesess and if our weakness happens to be

procrastination, shouldn't we accept it and just try to

make the best of it? Why this compulsion to make

ourselves over, instead of relaxing and enjoying life?

What' s wrong with the policy of the old song 'Que sera,

sera' Whatever will be, will be. ?"

Anwser: "Que sera, sera is a lovely song, but a lousy

philosophy. Nothing worthwile was ever accomplished by

anybody who met life with a shrug and an attitude of

whatever will be, will be. There are plenty of people

who do chose that aproach of course but they are the

zombies. Instead of the model should be: Que chero,

sera; whatever I will, will be!"

Question: "But surelly you have heard of such phrases:

Go with the flow, don't push the river, don't these

adnominations suggest that the wisdom accepting

what life has dished out and enjoying instead on

going on a binge of self-modification?"

Anwser: "Not at all. Those phrases are perfectly valid

in the proper context. It is foolish of course not to

yeld to the inevitable. But what is inevitable? One is

reminded by the well known serenity praier by doctor

Reynhold Neighbor: O god give us the serinity to

accept what cannot be changed. Courage to change

what should be changed and wisdom to distinguish

one from the other. Life is not a situation but a

process, not static but dynamic, it's essential element

is change and the great question facing each of us is

whether we will channel that change in the direction

we want to go, shaping our destiny or whether we will

permit our activities and our character to be determined

by those random forces we call faith to the extent

that we procrastinate we are following th second course"

Question: "But this all sounds like such a chore. To

fight procrastination along with all the other

imperfections we all have in our makeup seems like

a never ending process. It seems like we are
asking people to be constantly at war with themselves"

Anwser: "In a sense that's true. The concept of an

eternal struggle within us. Between good and evil.

Between self-mastering and self-indulgence goes back

to the garden of Eden. It is this great theme running

trough life and literature, but the testament of the

human race is that the battle is worth fighting. That

it gives zest to life and that victory is sweet! In

the words of the Roman poet, Pobliosarius: The greatest

victory is victory over self. To be conquered by self

is of all things the most shameful and ville"

"Our strength and the ability to overcome

procrastination grow each time we chalk up a triumph

however small. One of the notable acievers through recent

history; Ray Kroc the chairman of the board of McDonalds

, the man who parlayed the humble hamburger to a fortune.

He says: The longer I live the more importance I attach

to a man's abillity to manage and discipline himself......

I can go on forever, but basically Procrastination

is a disease that prevents us from being truly

succesfull. Now it is a part of human nature but that

doesn't mean we cannot fight it!....and WIN.

A light aproach!

I say it's time to get back to the
basics. Principles of virtue, righteousness
and truth...morality. All those things that
we were never taught. On a lighter tone I will
be going into such things to touch base on
some of my belief systems and yours of course.
It's what you believe in and know to be true
that determines how you act and what you do
on a day to day basis. Hope it's not to scary
for ya!

The Knight's Vow

I took this from a
movie called the
"Kingdom of Heaven".
A movie that greatly
inspires me and what
I do. It goes something
like this: "Be without
fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright
that God may love thee. Speak the truth, always, even if
it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no
wrong. That is your oath (followed by a hard slap to the
face) and that's so you remeber it!" Pretty good. Well this
is essential and should be incorporated in your daily
decision making process! If you want to have any kind
of succes in your life. At Least that's what I believe.

Here's another one: "What does that say? Latin: What man

is a man that does not make the world better?" Very powerfull.

So I ask myself that question every day. Another one: "When I

was sixteen, I won a great

victory. I felt in that moment

I would live to be a hundred.

Now I know I shall
not see thirty... You

see none of us choose

our end, really...
A king may move a man, a
father may claim a son...

but remember when even those who move you

be kings or men of power, Your soul is in your
keeping alone. When you stand before God you cannot say:

But I was told by others to do thus. Or that virtue was not

convenient at the time. This will not suffice. Remeber that!"

Very Strong Quote.

Another one: "You've been given a patch of dirt and it seems you
will all build a new Jerusalem
here. Tis my land...Where

would I be if I did not try to

make it better." WOW. That

one should get people

thinking. What are you doing

curently to try to make the

world a better place.
And if you are how can you take it to the next level. You can

always work on improving what you do and yourself. Just don't

give up. EVER!!!!! Be a true Knight and watch the movie.