Who will you vote for?

I can’t say I like this term, but I know that it will resonate with a lot of you.

Procrastination.

When I was a child it wasn’t so much of a thing, I guess you were labelled either lazy or avoidant.

But today we say procrastination.

For those of you that aren’t 100% clear on the definition:

“the action of?delaying?or?postponing?something.”

Now I firmly understand that pointing the finger at you and telling you that this could be a trait of yours is pretty confrontational and borderline rude.

I respect you and honestly, I'd love you to reach the bottom of this newsletter.

I hope it will be enlightening.

So, I’ll discuss some scenarios I commonly witness and we’ll see if any of them relate.

Often when I am speaking with a potential client they will tell me how good sleep, exercise, quality nutrition and making time for their mental wellbeing have been battles of theirs for years.

It isn’t uncommon for them to tell me that they’ve been meaning to make a change for a long time but they never seem to be able to prioritise it or make a significant enough shift in their lifestyle.

For me, I’m hearing all of the right things here but an alarm bell begins to ring in my head…

I’ll ask myself.

“Is this another procrastinator?”

See it’s also commonplace for me to discover how urgently someone like yourself wants to make a shift to see all of the trade offs they are desperate for, play out in front of them.

Yet when it comes to the time to commit to making that change, that they’re “desperate” for…

They begin to pick up anything they can see as a potential roadblock in front of them and place it firmly in their way.

This is where the procrastination kicks in.

Others may see it as “making excuses”.

• Lack of time
• Huge stress
• Growth period in the business
• Family struggles
• Frequent travel

Are all very common things I hear.

Please do not take this the wrong way - but these aren’t valid excuses.

I say this because I frequently experience all of the above as do many of my clients, most of the time.

But my coaching is delivered with all of that context in mind, it’s a specialist approach built for people like you with lifestyles like yours.

(you're not alone - although I'm sure it can feel like that is the case at times)

I don’t anticipate these curve balls slowing down until you retire, or worse…have a breakdown.

I don’t like to educate you on these things things because I’m desperate for more clients.

I have a thriving business here whether you’re going to take action, or not.

I will be here tomorrow fighting the good fight with my clients to help them push forwards, despite all of the perceived roadblocks in their way.

I hope that I am breaking a belief in you that there is no perfect time.

There are no perfect set of circumstances that will accommodate you making a change.

If I was going to be really transparent with you; being in search of that “perfect” time is only your brains latest way of procrastinating on this subject.

It’s the latest moment in a chain of many that have led you to not resolving this issue.

“the action of?delaying?or?postponing?something.”

I’ll leave you with a frame I like to share with anyone struggling with this internal battle:

You could embark on a coaching program in the quiet periods of your life, where stress is lower and it’s easier to make this fit.

You’ll likely do really well.

But when is that period coming? And what do you have to cope with until then?

So, let’s flip this:

If you embark on a coaching program during a high stress, high pressure and time squeezed period what are you going to learn?

How to make this work under the most testing of circumstances.

Making the next testing period (there will be one) far easier to manage because you have past experience of bossing this.

Not to mention how powerful it is being held accountable and having a support system in place to help you navigate these times.

Lastly, if you can make progress during a time of test.

Imagine how easy things will feel once life doesn’t stop testing you quite so much…

I hope this has helped you to view procrastination for what it is.

“the action of?delaying?or?postponing?something.”

As James Clear says:

“Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become”

Who will you vote for?

Ben