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Several years ago my wife and I were traveling on I-285 in Atlanta going to a shopping center. To those who may not know, I-285 is the by-pass loop that goes around the perimeter of Atlanta. What should have been about a forty-five-minute trip ended up taking us over an hour and a half.
My I-285 Experience
I believe to this day one of two things occurred; I was given bad directions or I didn’t write the directions down correctly. My wife says different, she says that I did not listen. In any case, we wasted valuable time and gas riding around the perimeter of Atlanta.
I will never forget as we were riding around I-285, I said to my wife I believe we have passed the airport twice. She looked at me with frustration in her eyes and anger in her voice and said, “No, this is our third time.” I knew then it was time to ask for proper directions. I had to let go of my, I-know-where–I-am-going ego and ask for directions. It didn’t make much sense to continue to ride around and around in circles when help was only a phone call away.
Take the Right Exit Today
Today is your day to get off your I-285 and experience all that life has to offer. It will not be easy, but you can do it. I know it can be tiresome and frustrating because you can’t seem to find the correct exit ramp to get off. You can avoid burn out and frustration if you quit holding onto things that hold you hostage. When you quit doing the wrong things, you make more room for the things that make you happy. So starting today…
Quit procrastinating.
What dreams have you forfeited pursuing today because you keep waiting for tomorrow or your situation to magically turn around? I will be the first to admit, I have discarded or delayed many of my dreams because of procrastination.
It wasn’t until I sat down and wrote several things I said I desired to do but never got around to doing them that I realized I have serious problem with procrastination. After I finished, I had eight things on my list.
I was embarrassed and ashamed. I had squandered precious time procrastinating on what I needed to do. The saying, “What you focus on the longest becomes the strongest” was true in my life concerning procrastination. It was a major stronghold.
Life is too short and unpredictable to waste time waiting for the ideal situations, the right person’s support or the economy to turn around. I have decided to get in the game and see what happens. If you and I never get in the game to live out our vision, we forfeit the chance to achieve what is possible in our life.
When you procrastinate, you put your vision, desires and dreams on hold. You put things off under the illusion that you will get to them another day, or when you have more time. You make layers of excuses. You constantly postpone taking action. You end up always waiting for tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes.
I have realized what you don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow. The secret to achieving your vision is simply getting started. So what if you fail? Get up, recalibrate and try again. So what if you make mistakes that hinder your progress? Acknowledge them and move forward. Every day that you are alive is a brand new day you have to pursue your vision. It is a brand new opportunity to shine the way you were destined to shine.
Starting is all it takes to build momentum to break the stronghold of procrastination. Do not worry about the finish line or how you going to get there, just concentrate on taking your first step. Say to yourself, “I choose to start today with one small, scary step.” “I will show up tomorrow and take another small step. And I will show up the next day and every day after knowing that all those small steps will add up to defeat over procrastination and victory for my vision.
Quit making excuses.
Too many people have a habit of making excuses for their circumstances. They blame everything and everyone for where they are in life. They say their parents let them down, the company did not treat them fairly, the government was at fault, there are no jobs and the list of excuses goes on and on.
Stop making excuses for what you have or don’t have, or for what you feel or don’t feel. When you make excuses or blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility and escalate the problem. Stop giving your power away and start taking responsibility for your life.
Excuses are self-built roadblocks that keep you from achieving what is possible. Until you stop making excuses, your vision is just a stagnant dream. Stagnant dreams do not produce results. When you become serious about making a real commitment to live out your vision, you will eliminate the excuses and get the job done.
If you want to grow to your full potential, you must learn to take full responsibility for your life. Accept where you are, learn from your past, make any necessary changes and take immediate action. It’s up to you to make your move and stop making excuses. No one can do it for you.
Quit beating yourself up.
We all make mistakes, encounter struggles and allow regrets from our past hinder our present. But you are not your mistakes, you can overcome struggles and you don’t have to beat yourself up about what happened yesterday.
Every day you should do something that makes you better than you were yesterday. Don’t waste any more precious time beating yourself up about things you cannot change.
Nothing will bring you down quicker than beating yourself up. The mind is an excellent tool if used correctly, but when used incorrectly, it becomes very destructive. You must be aware of your mental self-talk constantly. We all have that little voice in our heads that speaks to us in positive or negative terms. We must be consciously aware at all times of what we’re saying to ourselves and how it’s affecting us.
As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” One of the major causes of why we fail is because we listen to self-doubt and negative self-talk. The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive mindsets is to feed your mind positive and empowering thoughts that transform what you think about yourself.
Quit running from your problems.
I encounter many people who try to run from their problems. They believe running will get them away from their troubles. For some strange reason, they think running is easier than facing their problem.
The problems may be difficult to confront. There may be no easy way out. You must stand up and take responsibility. Face the problem head on. It may take some time, but you can get through it.
Part of living means to face problems, learn, adapt and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
Trust me, if knew some of the problems your neighbor or co-worker were dealing with, you would gladly deal with your problems. Tackle your problems with a sense of urgency, don’t let them hang around making more problems. Your best solution is to face them head on no matter how insurmountable they may look.
If you fail to face your problems, they will stop you from making the right choices and decisions. They will keep you confined to just the small space where you feel completely comfortable. But your life’s story is simply the culmination of many small, unique experiences, many of which require you to stretch your comfort zone. Letting your fears and worries control you is not ‘living,’ it’s merely existing.
No matter how far you run or where you go, your problems will not vanish. They will wait for you. I found the best thing to do is to face them head on. It won’t be easy. You may have to confront someone who is causing you issues.
You may have to confront your negative inner voice who is constantly telling you that you cannot live your vision. Running from your problems does not solve them, it only makes things worse. If you don’t handle your problems quickly, they only grow bigger and cause more problems.
Quit trying to be someone you’re not.
One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else. You were designed to be you and if you attempt to imitate someone else, you cancel out your true self.
Do not become discouraged because someone is doing something great. There will always be someone prettier, smarter, younger and faster than you. Don’t change who you are to imitate someone else. Be yourself and let the world love the real you.
You may resemble your father or mother, but you are not them. You may have similar skills as someone else, but you are not them. You are unique. You are an original. When you compare yourself to others, you negate the person God created you to be. The comparison syndrome will leave you frustrated and angry about whose you are. It will rob you of the joy of living out your designed destiny.
Don’t waste valuable time trying to walk in some else’s shoes when you have your own shoes to walk in. It is okay to be different. It is okay to live out your uniqueness. Don’t get caught up in the social media, marketing and television hype that you have to be like someone else or you are lacking. Don’t hide who you are because you think you don’t measure up to someone else. You were created to stand out and not blend in. Because if you don’t live out your uniqueness then who will.
“Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done.” Benjamin E. Mays
Question: What must you quit to stop your life from going in circles? Leave a comment below.
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Photo by Joey Kyber on Unsplash