In a world full of procrastinators and perfectionists, the majority of us could use motivation. The “You can do it”, “Do it for your family”, or “Do it for (fill in the blank), only gets us going for a short period. “Do it for yourself” would seem to be the ideal go-to but, many of us take years before we get to this point. After getting to the level of self-motivation, we still lose a little juice as time goes on. What type of motivation is out there for those of us who fit this scenario? The best form known to man is mortality motivation.
Mortality motivation is a constant reminder that your time on this earth is limited and, you don’t know how much time’s left in your life. In lamens terms, you are going to die. There is no doubt about death. We live as if that fresh new day is going to keep coming. As if were are always going to be as energetic as we are now. As if later is a better option than now. We convince ourselves that anytime but now is a better option. We ignore the evidence we receive every day that we are mistaken.
The procrastinator. The expert of all experts on flushing the present down the toilet. The advocate of advocates regarding the future. Everything is and will complete in the future. There is no need to do anything now. Procrastinators have a couple of common traits. Laziness is a big one but laziness has a negative connotation to it. You can be lazy and not want to do anything but you can also be lazy and look for the easiest way to do things. Lazy people who tend to look for the path of least resistance will not become a procrastinator because they will attempt to get that task off their to-do list. Another trait is a false perception of preoccupation. People love to tell themselves they are too busy to do this or that but the truth is they’re not. Think about what some people get done in a day. The same 24 hours you get.
They get 6-8 hours of sleep, work out, get their children fed and ready for school, go to work for the day, get their children from school, prepare dinner, get the children washed and ready for bed, work on their side hustle, and learn something new. You get up, go to work, come home, eat, hit the couch and phone for 5 hours, and go to sleep angry because you are “too busy” to work on the project you have in mind. I think this person needs a little help with prioritization. A “day-budget” (yes, that’s my word) is necessary. You do so, just as you budget your income for the month. You’ll do this for at least 5 of the 7 days of your week. If you want to see a fast change, “day budget” for all 7. You’ll see just how much time you were burning away daily.
A rarely mentioned but breeder of procrastinators is perfectionism. Perfectionists get glorification for being meticulous and praised for their work if released but, they are just as bad as the “push everything to tomorrow” crowd. They are holding on to something that the world needs and may never get because it doesn’t meet their standard of excellence which at this moment in time is impossible. Think about the first television, computer, or phone that many can’t seem to unplug from themselves. The first television was not in color and didn’t come with a remote. The first computer was too large for a personal/home computer to be possible. The first phone was stationary and required an operator to route calls to the desired location.
Where would we be if the inventors of these things were perfectionists? The inventors had amazing things in their heads and might have reached about 70% of it in reality. That 30% may not be obtainable in the lifetime of that person. The correct choice is to put the work out there while working on future improvements. If you need another reason to put it out there, others will be working on improvements, also. The only thing in the way now would be humility. Is it okay for someone else to takes your 70% to 85% or 90%? Could you stomach that? I hope you can. We all do because you will not be here forever.
In closing, we all seek motivation. After reading this piece, the need to look shouldn’t take very long. Most motivation is fleeting but, that unknown countdown we have going on is the ultimate motivator. It may scare you a little. This scare is one scare that pushes you forward instead of pushing back.
I’ve had the opportunity of seeing someone who knew the end was near. The way they lived their last days was so inspiring. Every day lived to its fullest. Traveling occurred to visit family. They tried things they would not have otherwise. They were open and direct in expressing themselves. They played games with young family members. They did their best and moved on with a smile. They did not waste any time. Must you wait until you know your time is almost up? I hope not because not everyone gets that heads up.
Food for thought…You do the dishes.
