Blocking Your Creativity? Procrastination

By Jean Adrienne.

Each of us gets stuck from time to time, and we always wonder why we aren’t able to make things happen the way we want them to. Rarely does the key come to unlock the block so we generally just have to wait it out, and that sets up a cycle that begins to perpetuate itself.

While we wait for the answer or the “ahah” moment that will move us back into the flow, we often ponder what’s going on in our life.  “What am I waiting for—and why?” I am one of the first to be able to identify this trait in others, but I tend to excuse it away in myself. This morning I decided to look deeper into the cause and effect that procrastination has in my life.  Underlying this behavior, I found the root cause to be fear. There were questions there as well:

–          What if I can’t?

–          Where do I begin?

–          What will I do when I am done?

These are all fear-based questions that keep me from focusing on the task at hand. They act like blinders preventing me from seeing all the possibilities and stopping me from taking the first step toward my goal.

I also found that procrastination is viral. Once I allow it to stop a single project or task, it quickly spreads to the next one, and before long I am totally paralyzed, completely off track, and rapidly heading into something either unhealthy, unproductive or both. Some of the time-wasters that pop up for me in this space are Freecell, Facebook, mindless eating or just going to bed. What are your detractors?

The most profound thing I found, however, was the long-term effect of procrastination. It blocks achievement. You can’t win in the game of life if you don’t show up. Even the tiniest task avoided has a ripple effect that halts the flow of manifestation. It actually can keep you from achieving your most desired goal! Everything is connected, but I had never looked at it that way before!

Start with baby steps since everything is connected. Even completing the most minimal task progresses you towards the attainment of your greatest creation. The more tasks you finish the easier it becomes, not only to begin the next one, but to complete it as well! Start NOW. Every little bit counts, and soon the trickle of energy you expend will become a tsunami you can surf all the way to success.

Photo Credit: Kate Williams