Business Coaching FAQ: How Do I Stop Procrastinating?

If the belief that one has held for long enough contradicts experience - we will discount the importance of experience and not even try. It is not the lack of a good business idea that stops people from taking action on them, it is the absence of an individual’s belief in their capabilities to do so that is the killer of so many dreams. Starting and growing a business requires the initiation of action as well as a sustained momentum towards an end goal. Many of us possesses the ability to envision a desired end goal, whether it’s by witnessing someone else live it and picturing ourselves in that future, a long held wish or dream from our childhood or a sudden lightbulb insight that has us thinking ‘what-if?’ The actualisation of that dream or goal is where the hard work comes into play. It’s where we require the motivation that will inspire us to take action and where actions lead to real time information gathering that can help us to observe and hone our skillsets and eventually the action produces experiences of success and inspires constant progress towards the actualisation of the goal. Here’s where it can go wrong:- We dare not to dream because we don’t believe we are worthy of our dreams - We dream but do not take action out of fear of the risk required and consequence of potential failure - We remain in the safety of the planning stages due to a lack of knowledge or belief in our ability to execute on the necessary task required  - We make an attempt to start but encounter setbacks that we perceive as evidence as to why we are incompetent and retreat back to the pre-dreaming stage, perhaps choosing not to risk the consequences again Whilst these circumstance might feel relatable, familiar and/or very real threats as to why we can not start or scale our businesses, there are some simple solutions that can help us to move through the blockages that hold us back. As a Business Coach I’ve personally witnessed that a persons belief in themselves is a key indicator in a) their willingness to take action and b) motivation to sustain the action until the goal or desired outcome is achieved. Sound familiar?Start here.First consider a dream, goal or desired outcome that you have for your life. Now take a moment to reflect on how confident you feel in your capabilities to bring your dream or goal to life. Based on the perceived gap between the two, review the below strategies to see what action you might be able to take today to increase the confidence in your ability to bring your goals to life. 5 Solutions to Overcome Procrastination 

1. Get clear on your goal and/or desired outcome: ‘Dreams are the seedlings of reality’ - Napoleon Hill. What do you want? How does it look and how will you know when you are there? Make it a clear vision that you can articulate to yourself and those you trust. Bring it to the forefront of your mind and make sure you first know what you’re aiming for. 
2. Develop your skillset- When we lack a sense of self belief we are less likely to take action towards a goal that we perceive as hard or risky. People who are confident that they have the skills and knowledge to accomplish a task are more likely to attempt it. Is there a gap in your knowledge, skillset or understanding that needs to be filled, learnt or outsourced? This is where a business coach, taking a course, studying or research can help. As soon as you notice where you are getting stuck, lacking knowledge or the necessary skills to take the next steps, take a moment to consider who or what could help you to fill the gap. The longer you sit in the ‘I don’t know’ the more likely you are to deter yourself from ever taking action and you become more susceptible to giving up. 
3. Find your role models- Hiring a business coach, reading an inspiring story of similar business successes or studying other peoples journeys are proven strategies for increasing your self-belief that a) your goal or dream is possible and b) confidence that you can also achieve the same. 
4. Just start- To further increase your chances of success, practicing the modelled behaviour will begin your journey to mastery of the skillsets needed to achieve your dreams and goals. When we set out to master a task we receive information in the form of feedback. Either we had a success that will reinforce our sense of self-competency and we become more likely to sustain our efforts towards the goals. Or in the chance that we experience a setback but are able to detect some small improvement in our skillsets (even if it’s the fact that we gave it a go) we are given a chance to reflect on the action taken and make adjustments for next time which has also been proven to increase our confidence in ourselves and our abilities and makes us more likely to keep trying. 
5. Master your mindset- As humans we tend to avoid situations where we feel inadequate or that we presume will be stressful most of which are formed first in our minds first. Those who are able to navigate their thoughts to reduce the assumed threats (zooming out and assessing the truth of the fear) have the ability to quieten down the frightening thoughts and reduce their self doubts that debilitate them from taking action. When we are able to reduce the thoughts that seed the feelings of fear in our body, we feel a sense of capability in ourselves to handle the situation at hand and are more likely to take action and experience a successful outcome no matter how small. Each time we experience a win, we are building evidence that we have what it takes to bring our dreams to life which in turn inspires more action until eventually we have achieved our desired outcome. 

"The key to realising a dream is to focus not on success but on significance--and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning."-Oprah It might not always be easy and there will be times when you’ll think you can’t go on but each day you have an opportunity to keep working on your self-belief which will undoubtedly increase your motivation to take action and bring your dreams to life. The more action you take, the more evidence you will obtain that you have what it takes to do what needs to be done to bring your goals to life. Don’t forget to celebrate along the way. K  Get in touch for 1:1 Business Coaching here