In his words above, Napoleon highlights a habit many of us share, waiting until circumstances are "right" to go forth and do what we want/need/have to do. While this might seem like a logical argument, it is actually procrastination's greatest ally.
I would argue that Napoleon is very right in this case. Even if the timing of something is an issue, say it has to happen in a particular season ("I'll get fit and do that marathon in the autumn...") or timing of circumstances ("When I have my own house I will have my own herb garden!!") or even waiting on another factor, such as money to be perfect, that does not mean you should sit stagnant TODAY!
Every little thing you want to achieve can be broken down into steps that you can start doing today.
If you want it, if you're passionate, if it needs to be done, then do what little steps towards it you can! Here are some ideas of how to bust stagnation:-
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Be specific with your goal!
Know what you want so you can shoot for it. Sometimes we wait for a perfect time for our goals because we haven't really defined exactly what we want and are relying on the perfect time. If we know what we want, then we can know how to make it happen, and start working on it TODAY!
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Break your ultimate goal down
Things can get a little overwhelming if you are just looking at the end goal. They might seem quite unrealistic to do now because you can't even fathom the first step!
Picture yourself standing on one side of a rushing river, your goal is the other bank.
Say you want to get fit to do that marathon in the Autumn.
To achieve this goal, the key words are "get fit". That in itself is quite daunting!
So now you understand, the way to put your stepping stones into the river is to work on the getting fit part.
Break it down again. How do I get fit?
Slowly. You can't just start running 14 km a day! So think, what's the first step? Maybe it's going for a 10 minute walk after work each night, maybe it is consulting someone else specialised in the field to coach you through to your goal. Whatever you decide, you now have a starting point.
That then becomes your first stepping stone you put in front of you in the river.
Remember, stepping stones cannot be too far apart or you run the risk of falling in! If you find yourself putting it into the "too hard" basket, break it down further!
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Action Plan
Put together a plan of all the little steps you need to get to your goal. Try and include a timeline so that you can see if you are sticking to it, or are even putting off your sub-goals until 'the perfect time'.
THIS PLAN DOES NOT HAVE TO BE FINAL! It can change and help monitor your progress along the way.
What have you been putting off that you could be doing today? Why?
Please leave comments below to let us know either what you've been putting off and why, or what you are now doing because you know the perfect time does not exist!
~ Crystal Roles, Hilton Chiropractic (18-Jul-2014)