7.00 am – This is going to be a great day. So much to do and I have a whole day in front of me.

10.00 am – Where did the morning go? I wish I had more time! Ok, so, first I need to pick up the papers on my desk…

12.00 pm – Oh, dear, about lunchtime… what is for lunch? I should ask people on Facebook.

2.00 pm – Where did the time go? I still haven’t had lunch, got sucked into Facebook… oh, gosh, now I’ll never get anything done! And I’m so hungry!

5.00 pm – SO frustrating… why can’t I ever get anything done?

 

Sounds familiar? Me, too. We all fall victims to procrastination. Some of us more than others. Some of us pretend they are not procrastinating. They are working on other important tasks. Like organizing paperwork in the drawer or washing all the coffee mugs in the lounge. Somebody has to do it, right?

 

Only when at the end of the day you start to get this sucking feeling in your stomach that you understand you had wasted yet another day and hadn’t achieved any of those bright and shiny goals you talked so passionately about at the last accountability meeting.

 

We sit at the desk, helplessly staring at your to-do list that is silently staring back.

 

The stress builds up, the anxiety kicks in.

 

We reach for that candy bar or a drink… whatever we fancy.

 

We avoid having to solve this problem. We avoid it because we are AFRAID.

 

Fear is something that triggers certain brain patterns. Everybody heard the expression, Fight or Flight. In a dangerous situation, our brain chooses one of the three:

• Freeze;
• Scream;
• Fight back.

 

It is a completely normal natural reaction: play possum, roar back, or show your claws.

 

The question is, what are YOU afraid of? There are so many things that can hold us back. Fear of failure, fear of success. Fear of not being understood. Fear that “today they will all see I am nothing special” or “I am no expert”, or “I am just an impostor”.

 

Whichever fear you are dealing with, know this.

 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment… – ‎1 John 4:17

And we punish ourselves with stress, anxiety, guilt, loss of sleep and loss of profit. For, yes,

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. – Proverbs 14:23

 

What can we do to help ourselves get over the fear?

 

Try to apply the when/then rule.

 

It goes like this:

When I get this done, then I will see what others think about my work.

When I am being praised, then I will accept it graciously.

When I am being criticized, then I will take the constructive part of it and use it to help myself become better.

When I feel I am being pulled into a conversation I don’t want to be a part of, then I will excuse myself and go for a quick walk (use the bathroom, get on an urgent phone call, etc.)

 

Knowing there is a way out other than freeze,  scream, or fight, allows you to be prepared with a plan.

 

Fear usually has everything to do with the unknown. Having a plan takes the unknown factor away. If there is nothing to be afraid of – you can do this!

 

What would your when/then be for tomorrow? I would love to see it in your comments!