Why Do You Put Things Off?

"If you put off everything till you're sure of it, 

you'll never get anything done."

~Norman Vincent Peale

Putting things off is often due to perfectionism or uncertainty.  You don't have to be perfect.  You don't have to be sure.  Sometimes you just have to jump and do it, even if you aren't sure of it.  In most situations, you can revise and tweak your results.  Too often we expect ourselves to produce a finished product in our first attempt, and end up not producing anything.  Sometimes you have to let go of the outcome in order to get an outcome at all.

This week:  Be honest with yourself.  Do you end up putting things off because you aren't sure?  What is it you are not sure of?  Yourself?  Your abilities?  Your outcome? The product?  How does delaying it help you?  If you aren't sure, ask yourself "What do I need to do to take the first small step in this?"  Take that step and THEN decide what the next step is.  You don't have to know it all when you begin.  But you have to begin.

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people achieve goals and overcome their limitations due to mindset and beliefs.  She knows how to get people to take action and to break overwhelming tasks into manageable pieces.  For more information and free resources, go to http://www.InnerResourceCenter.com .