Hey, Fellow Tribeless!
What's on your mind today? Today I find myself considering Procrastination, that revolting, time-stealing, Energy Vampire!
I’ll explain. By nature, as long as I see the value in completing a task or project, I’m all in until it’s done. I love nothing more than checking things off my ‘list’ and feeling accomplished, like I did something useful and worthwhile with my day. But occasionally, I get bit by the Energy-Sucking Procrastination Vampire and I find myself not wanting to deal, sometimes even not wanting to adult.
And then I start with the questions: Why am I resisting doing this? Is it offending my sensibilities (by which, of course, I mean my values)? Is it necessary? Or could I be doing something else and achieving the same goal?
Oftentimes, these inner inquiries diagnose my disease, and I can then quickly remedy my malady. But then there are Those times, those times when, by all intents and purposes, there is no (obvious) reason why the Vampire struck. All my ducks are in a row, the task aligns with at least one of my values and doesn’t violate any other, it achieves an important personal goal…so…
As I continue to read deeper into Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies, I suddenly began to better understand a facet of my nature, one I knew lurked around inside, but I thought only flicked its silvery tongue and breath of flame when someone mistakenly believes being an effective boss means micro-managing. I am part Rebel, perhaps without a Clue but Rebel nonetheless! Which means occasionally someone else’s expectation that I’ll do something simply makes me not want to do it, regardless if I may actually Want to do it. A little wacked, I know.
But now I have a clearer perspective for when the illness strikes and my Inquiry Inoculation isn’t effective. Yet as the iconic G.I. Joe always affirmed, “Knowing is half the battle.” Knowledge IS Power, but just being cognizant about something doesn’t growth make; it’s just half the battle. True growth and development is using your power, integrating your new-found knowledge to create a new response, to change the pattern.
So, what am I going to do moving forward? I’m going to add the task to my ‘Could-Do’ list instead of my old ‘To-Do’ list to remind myself that the choice still resides with me, it always has. Sometimes, we just need to find little ways to remind ourselves that we ALWAYS have the choice!