Life is Complicated...Wait or Work?

There's one big, common problem we all face when pursuing our goals and staying productive: when
life gets complicated, many people choose to wait
instead of work. Well if that isn't me! I try to express as much as I can here on JSTB from a personal angle because my daily struggle to bring my vision alive is personal to me! I'm sure your struggle is to you!

Okay, life is complicated.

So (I) we use excuses to justify the decision to wait. The most common way we justify delaying the pursuit of a goal is to say that the "time isn't right" and frankly it's easier to wait because you already have too much on your plate. Being overwhelmed is painful and we don't like pain.

But Something Always Comes Up

Sadly life is not going to slow down because we have things we want to accomplish. Nope. If  we want to maintain our productivity and progress towards our goals, whether big or small we have to first define our desire and take that first step and repeat!

If you (or I) wait our lives will bring us plenty of the unimportant "garbage" , piling onto us as our dreams & aspirations get relegated to the back seat of our lives.

Then we're in a position saying we'll start tomorrow, but a day turns into a week, a week turns into a month, a month into a year. Before you know it, a couple of decades are gone! It's a scary thought but it's probably happened to many people you know, or to you right now.

How long have you been walking around with the pain of a deferred dream? 

In order to address that pain, the first step is to identify what the problem is. Here are the factors as to why your clock never reads the time you want to see. I do this identifying work through writing, yes in a journal. (Hard to accept in this electronic day and age)

Circumstances Can Change in an Instant

You may plan and schedule all you want but things don't always fall in order. Unexpected events can pull you onto another route.

Technical issues arise with your product. The needs of your kids constantly draw your attention. A pipe breaks in the house. The basement floods.

Some things you just can't control. Focus on what you can control, focus on what you've written down; it's your contract with yourself.

On the flip side, some times things do fall in order, you find easement in your schedule and you find time for exploring your dream. 

Either way, make or take your time! (and repeat)

Don't let yourself down.

Even if you can't make up the entire time that you missed, schedule pockets of time when you can be productive and make some progress here and make some more there....soon, this here & there work will open doors for you.

"But I Have Other Responsibilities and Obligations." 

I get it! (Story) Many of us aren't fortunate enough that we can drop everything and focus solely on our dreams or projects that we want to work on. We have other obligations and responsibilities. We become busy taking care of everything else that demands our attention.

Taking care of your family, serving your community, or managing those extra work obligations. In some situations, it doesn't sit right if you prioritized something else because you feel obligated.

Consider your priorities and if there are other ways to handle your responsibilities. Think about how you can delegate, give others more responsibilities, or team up with those taking care of similar responsibilities or taking the same route.

We're not saying forsake all those around you but there may be a way to free up some time and find more productivity.

If you have to, consider temporarily reducing time commitments to certain activities. Give yourself some time to review your schedule and figure it out.

Lack of Information

If you don't have enough information about the whole process, then the uncertainty makes it easier to set aside your goals.

We want to feel comfortable when beginning a new effort because it makes us feel confident. Even if you have an idea of what the results look like, the lack of information creates hesitation.

It's essential to remember that you can always learn as you go. It is okay to start something without having all of the information available to you.

Your Mood Changes Everything

You just came home from a long day at work. You're feeling tired, and your mood is down because of the stressful situations you worked through during the day.

Now, it's time for dinner. You don't feel like putting in the effort, so you call the local pizza place to have them deliver something. You don't want to do anything but watch TV or Netflix.

That feeling you have in this situation is the same one that holds you back from accomplishing your goals.

Or when your emotions dominate, this can greatly affect your goals and productivity.

If it feels like nothing is going your way, then it might be time to find some useful coping skills that will stabilize your perspective. Identify what's affecting your mood and give yourself some time to figure out how you can change the situation.

There are even benefits to your physical health that can develop over time because you're in such a good place mentally. Mutually, your health affects your mood.

If you have a positive mood that influences your decision-making processes, then you'll feel that anything is possible.

You Haven't Defined Your Success

It is essential to define what success means to you before pursuing a goal. If you don't know what it is that you're working towards, then you won't be clear as to whether you've achieved your goal. Much less whether you're on a productive path.

If you don't have a clearly defined goal, it's even difficult to get a handle on it and work on it. Without a defined goal, you won't have the steps you need to take.

It's like dreaming about what life would be like if you achieved what you wanted. Nothing happens because there's no thought of the steps it takes.

If you have a clearly defined goal, you can realize what you actually need to do to arrive at your destination.

Take Risks to Experience the Rewards

One of the fastest ways to grow is to jump headfirst when a new opportunity comes your way. You must be willing to evolve who you are from a mental, physical, and spiritual standpoint to grow.

Even with the uncertainty, if you're not willing to embrace growth at this basic level, then the goals you want to achieve will never manifest themselves in your life.

Take action and if your efforts work out in your favor or if they don't, you can still learn a lot about yourself from the experience. Those lessons can offer valuable insight that you can apply to your next endeavor. They can contribute to a higher quality of life.

If you never risk anything, then everyone else will eventually move on to bigger or better things while you remain in the same spot.

You Can Begin Achieving Your Goals Right Now

Every event in this universe has a definitive starting and ending point. When it comes to your goals, what happens between these two moments is what will bring you closer to your target or drive you further from it.

The more that you can learn from your mistakes and push yourself, then the better equipped you will be to transform your next opportunity into unbelievable success.

Waiting for obstacles to clear could mean that you never take that first step. If you're waiting for the perfect timing, then you will never make forward progress.

Striving toward a goal means that you must learn to lead yourself before you can make forward progress. Clearly define the vision you have for your future life.

Align yourself with productive people and tools that can encourage fate to bring success your way.

Some use to-do lists and expert advice as a way to take the next step on their journey. Magical things happen when you're willing to start operating outside of your comfort zone.

Your goals are waiting for you. Now is the perfect time to start taking steps toward your dream outcome...its either now or wakeup perhaps 10 years from now wondering why you're accomplishing someone else's goal.