Taking It Slow… Procrastinating… Are Hurting You Not Helping

We all know a handful of things we should be doing in our lives that would help us live better. They may have to do with our health, money, business, relationships… we’ve all got a list.

Interestingly enough the things that would REALLY move the needle in our lives in a big way we tend to put off.

And we put those things off with a degree of sophistication that is impressive. Complex rationalizing, pausing, thinking, more thinking, excuses… did I mention overthinking?

I’ve done it a million times and so have you.

And in most cases, we’re doing it for one primary reason.

We’re trying to protect ourselves.

We’re trying to protect ourselves from pain and/or potential problems that may arise if we did that thing we know we should.

It’s easy to accuse yourself and others who are in procrastination mode, putting things off or taking things slow (a more poetic way of saying procrastinating) as being lazy or lacking work ethic.

I’m sure that’s the case sometimes, but in most cases, that’s not it.

You and I aren’t afraid of the work, the activity, the doing… We’re scared to death of what may happen on the other side of it and that’s why we pause.

I have a nationwide team of insurance agents that help individuals and families take care of some very important life stuff. Like many sales and production based jobs, agents will spend a lot of time on the phone reaching out to folks and setting up times to meet with them.

We don’t cold call in our business. We do a lot of direct mail marketing and people fill out cards, forms, or go online and reach out to us saying, “Hey I want more information, call me!”

Picking up the phone and hitting the numbers is the most important core activity an agent can do. It is the biggest factor in their earning power. If they don’t pick up the phone and call, there are no appointments, no appointments means no families get the protection they need, and the agent doesn’t get paid. That’s bad for everyone.

Yet this single most important factor is the one thing agents put off the most. They order business cards, organize their desks, watching training videos, anything and everything but call and talk to the people.

The reason? Fear of what will happen.

They are afraid they will get hung up on, told no, not know what to say, etc… They know it’s good for them to pick up and do but they are afraid of what they think will happen.

So they go into protection mode to save themselves from the perceived pain.

But that protection isn’t helping them. It feels like it is, but it’s actually hurting them and others.

Because the more they stall on doing the activity, the longer their bills aren’t getting paid. The longer they are struggling. The longer they have to rob Peter to pay Paul. The longer they are stuck. Not to mention in our example, families aren’t getting protected.

And here’s the worst part. The more distance you and I put between us and the thing we know we should do, the perceived fears keep getting BIGGER and BIGGER. Time is the enemy.

Delaying gives us a short-lived feeling of, “Ok, I’m ok. It’s ok. I’m fine.” But we’re not fine! It’s an illusion.

The only way to truly solve our problems be it our weight, money, or marriage is to realize the perceived problems we think will happen on the other side of us taking action are so much smaller than the real problems we’re experiencing now. We have to choose the right set of problems to solve.

One final thought.

I’ve yet to take action on something I’ve been stalling on, that scared me, and had it turn out to be nearly as scary as I thought. Without fail it’s, “Oh that wasn’t so bad” accompanied by a renewed sense of confidence because I did the real work. I didn’t buy my own B.S. and I won the battle.

That feels good. Really good. You should try that on.

Before you go…

Something I never move slowly on is sharing opportunity with others. Here’s where I’m building a legacy. If you’re prone to move fast and break things, you may have a home here.