It Starts with Passion, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 32Defeating the greatest robber of self-esteem

Procrastination, when you know you should do something but you don’t do it, is the greatest robber of self-confidence. It eats away at you. You feel bad about you. One important enhancer of self-confidence is self-discipline.

I am not talking about running a marathon. It is knowing what needs to be done and doing it. There is no guilt, just the pleasure that comes from making progress, implementing an idea or taking action on something that matters to you. It is the real and pure source of achievement.

Self-discipline sounds like such a tough, no-fun type of word, but it is really about making one decision — do I do it, or do I not do it? If you decide not to do it, then wear the consequences. If it is no big deal, then stop beating yourself up about it and move on!

If you decide to do it, then first of all take the smallest and easiest step possible. It’s not about completing it; it’s about starting, about gaining some momentum.

Too often we become too focused on completing the task. If you want to beat procrastination forever, then stop thinking about finishing the task and just focus on starting it. The challenge most people have with thinking about finishing the task or project at hand is that there is so much to do, so many steps, so much time needed to make it all come true. Turning it around and just focusing on starting takes all of this thinking out of the picture.

THE GREATEST ROBBER OF SELF-CONFIDENCE IS PROCRASTINATION ...