I just wanted to share something I find really valuable. When people say “Don’t Put It Off”, but you’re a chronic procrastinator, it’s easy to get stuck into this cycle of guilt and shame for not doing anything, draining yourself with stress, feeling guilty, and then not doing anything about it.
Don’t beat yourself up because you procrastinate. I challenge you to ask yourself, “Why?”. Why are you waiting? You’ll be surprised at the answers that start spilling out of your brain. “I’m afraid they won’t like me”, “I’m afraid I don’t know enough”, “I don’t know how”, “what will others think?”, “I don’t have enough time”. What if you already knew how? Explore those thoughts and think what is really holding you back on whatever is important to you? Would failing be worse than never doing it? I didn’t think so. Most of the time I regret the things I haven’t tried more than I regret the things I have done.
If your fear is of embarassing yourself, think of this. Can you think of a time you embarassed yourself? Totally. I once opened the door of our neighbor’s camper in a sleepy stupor one morning after going to the restroom, and the neighbor was laying there spread eagle in his underwear. Whoops! Now, can you think of many times when someone else embarassed themselves? Bet you cannot. Embarassment is a personal experience and no one is feeling it along with you.
Remember that the next time you choose to do something scary and do it anyway. You will not regret it.
The Code Road 