Building Momentum

How many of you procrastinate? It's a common habit for many people, especially creatives. Why? Well for one, creatives doubt the quality of their work. As a novice writer, I get it. Much of what we find attractive is subjective. Perhaps you've experienced this; you play a song you like for your friend, but they don't get as excited about it as you do. That's because art is subjective. And (side bar) yes you can argue there are also objective aspects to art (such as symmetry and proportions that make it more "universally pleasing to the eye), but for the most part, our experience is based on how it makes us feel. That's the difference between objective and subjective. Watching a particular film may make one person laugh and another cry. That's the cool thing about being human and having different experiences. Did I just procrastinate talking about procrastination? Maybe. But in overcoming procrastination, the most important thing is to do something. Often there's a deeper reason behind why we are procrastinating, even if we are not consciously aware of it. Maybe we doubt what we have to offer is good enough, or maybe we aren't in the mood . Those feelings are valid; they're also lies often. Lies that hold us back. Because once you stop procrastinating and get going, it gets easier. It's like the start of the 400M hurdle race. The first hurdle is the hardest to jump. But once you get past the first hurdle, the second and third are easier.

It's like Shia Labeouf says "just do it!"Just doing something, is better than doing nothing if you're trying to break the cycle of procrastination. Even if it's a small and insignificant task, it doesn't matter. The goal is to build momentum. Do a small thing, so that the"big" thing becomes easier to tackle. It also helps your confidence levels. And let's face it, so much of what we do in life is a mental battle. It's also an opportunity to overcome and grow. Each day is a gift. Gandalf from Lord Of the Rings puts it "all we have to decide is what to do is with the time that is given us". Because it all goes away faster than we want it to. Speaking from personal experience, it blows my mind how fragile and yet resilient human life is. Having taken care of a terminally ill loved one, I saw first hand how precious each day is. When you watch someone you love die, you see them go between life and death. They start to look less and less vivacious. Like a flame on a candle that is slowly burning out. We all have a set amount of time here on this earth.

On a lighter note, when you're young and healthy, that's the time to do things. That's the time to follow your heart and push past fears of failure. Just do it. Babe Ruth said "don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game." There's truth to his baseball analogy. When you go up to bat, there's the chance you won't get a hit. But there's also a chance you will. And to count yourself out before you've even tried.. I mean, who knows? You could have a home run on your hands and not even know it. This philosophy doesn't just apply to baseball...Do you have a creative project or side hustle you've been wanting to explore? Do it. Is there someone you like that you've been wanting to ask out for a while? Do it. Have you felt in your heart that you're meant to pursue a different career path? Do it. I get that doing new things can be hard. But I also know you can do hard things. Think of it this way, what if what you're afraid of most is what's holding you back from achieving your greatest desires? And what if it doesn't work out?That's okay. Rejection and failure are just part of the learning process. It took Thomas Edison 1000 failed tries before he successfully created the first light bulb. Yet when asked about it, he said "I didn't fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps" Which is a reminder to trust the process. You know how many times Colonel Sander's Kentucky fried chicken recipe was rejected? 1,009 times. But on the 1010 time.. he got a deal with a restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah, and thus the KFC franchise was born.

Now you might be thinking, not procrastinating is easier said than done, and you're right. Everyone struggles with this. Because guess what? We're only human. We all have fears, we all have flaws and we all make mistakes. But what if those fears, flaws and mistakes are actually teachers in the journey of our lives. We learn far more from failure than from success. President Franklin Roosevelt said "a smooth sea never made for a skilled sailor." It's the idea that every expert was once a beginner. If you want to become a seasoned baker, you've got to make your first cake. Or if you desire to be married one day, then you've got to go on some dates. At the end of the day, neither your mistakes nor your failures define you. They are as Edison put it steps to help in the discovery of what you want most.