YoYo’s World

             Over the years I have become familiar with what I call ‘the State-of-Limbo.’ Yes it is a very horrible state to be in and it’s sad to say but I believe that a very great majority of people suffer from this each day. Well…it’s not as dramatic as I made it out to seem initially, but being in this state can be quite hellish. Another term that describes limbo perfectly is indecision. Being in a state-of-indecisiveness is a pretty messy place to be because where ripped at the seams by different choices we want to make. This conflict can put many in a state of confusion and inaction. In simple terms, being indecisive puts you in a state-of-stagnation and because the two choices you have partially made are in conflict with one another, this conflict ultimately causes procrastination and laziness.

            (I have already written an article talking about procrastination that you can read here to help round your knowledge about this state-of-limbo.)

            On www.GeniusTypes.com, Brian writes about three ways creative-type people can really develop their passions. To give a little background information, creative-type people are those who have many creative interests whether it is art, music, film, dance, business, etc. These types of people (and I’m included in this group) are guilty of having many hobbies and with having so many interests, they usually start too many projects at once and have no time to accomplish them. Think of this group of people as Jacks-of-All-trades but a master at none. Let me say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with having many interests and hobbies, but I have found that once you begin to channel and focus your talents and energies on one medium you will find you live a much more fulfilling life. This is exactly what Brian talks about in his article; the three ways for creative-types to live a fulfilling life: Maximum focus, Maximum Persistence, Minimum Resistance.

            Being a creative-type, I didn’t really want to listen to Brian tell me that I had to pick one hobby and stick with it. I loved to do too many things to have to all of a sudden pick just one. Over time, as I relaxed the idea in my mind, I began to realize how important this is; how important it is to, with all of your heart, make one choice and stick with it.

            There will be many times in life where you will find yourself at a crossroads between multiple choices. You don’t know which decision to make so you just stand there looking at the road signs, debating and contemplating in your mind what the best decision is. When we find both positive and negative advantages for each choice, we tend to stick one leg down one path and one arm down another. Splitting yourself between paths creates much inner conflict because you are torn between to contradicting solutions and because you never fully commit, you never actually the full results because one side of your brain is stuck on one end of the corridor and the other side of your brain is trying to turn the knob. You have to jump right in and use both feet while walking down your chosen path because then you put yourself in a better position to make good decisions in the future.

            Say for example you find an obstacle up ahead of you, if you’re in a split-decision situation, you may not put all the resources available to you to walk over that fallen tree. In the back of your head you’re thinking, “I told you not to go this way and look at what’s happened?!” This unnecessary anxiety hinders your ability to bring your whole mind into the present moment to solve the problem that is at hand. If you never put your all into trying to find a solution, you will never actually know if the path you have chosen was the best choice. How will you ever know if you don’t put your heart and soul into it?

            Now we’re getting into the fear aspect of limbo. Many people are afraid to fully commit because they don’t know what the final results will bring. They want to pick the choice that will bring them the results they want but they’re afraid to take the leap into the unknown because they don’t know where the path leads. As Steve Pavlina, this is being in a state of ready-aim-aim-aim-aim-aim. Did you notice I didn’t write fire? Well that’s exactly what this causes, a state of aim, aim, aim and no action. Now what gets done? Nothing.

            One thing people don’t realize is they feel that once they’ve gone down one road, they won’t be able to go back. In some cases this is true, but what many don’t realize is there will be future crossroads down the way that may present even better choices than before. Don’t forget you can also forge your own pathways as well. Usually forging takes a bit more often, but more often than not these are the choices that bring the most joy and happiness.

            Now this comes down to a choice? Do you really want to accomplish your dreams? If you do, you will make good decisions and bad ones, but each path you choose brings you closer to your dreams whether it seems like it or not. Making and committing to one choice fully will give you the courage you need to carve through the foliage into the unknown. We’ve seen it done in the past, what makes you think you can’t do it now?

Just remember, pass it on.

-YoYo

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         Supposedly those who are right-brained tend to be absent-minded and suffer most from procrastination. I am both right and left-brained so I guess that explains why all my life I have been majorly affected by procrastination. = ) I thought it was fun to mentioned right or left-brained dominance, but through my experiences, procrastination doesn’t seem to discriminate when it comes to what side of the brain you use most often.

            As with many others, I’ve been going to school all my life and it’s frustrating to procrastinate doing class work. I can imagine that it doesn’t pay to procrastinate in the workforce either; I’ve only worked in the food industry, what do I know? = P. By the time I reached my sophomore year of college, I was completely fed up of pulling all-nighters to work on papers and study for tests that I had known about for weeks. For me, I felt it is so unproductive to force myself into pressure situations like that and I just didn’t want to deal with it anymore. So when a new semester came about I decided to take my time management in a whole new direction. I was determined to avoid those stressful situations I always put myself in throughout my schooling career.

            The first thing I did was educate myself with different methods others have used to bust procrastination out of the water. All of the articles and blog posts I read were very helpful, but in the end I felt I didn’t build a ladder tall enough to reach the moon; there was something I was still missing in the equation.

            As some of you may know, I am an avid Northern Shaolin practitioner. I have many books on Shaolin Kung Fu that I read most everyday and I learn very insightful things about life and goal achievement-it’s safe to say that these warrior monks were the cream of the crop when it comes to successful people. I was revisiting past lessons one day and I realized that there were two things that I learned that can be applied to beating procrastination, 1) relax and just go head on and 2) want to do what you’re doing.

Relax and Just Go Head On:

            In Kung Fu, students are taught to relax the body when experiencing moments of physical pain. Tensing and contracting your muscles and ligaments actually makes the pain worse. Kung Fu students are taught to accept the pain and through this acceptance your mind and body are relaxed and you suddenly turn a stressful situation into a more relaxed experience.

            The same can be applied to every day life. Let’s say you work as a project manager and you are required each week to give reports on your team’s progress. You hate everything about them and it is a real struggle to get yourself to put in the work needed to get the job done. When you struggle, reject and procrastinate performing duties you are responsible for, which makes for a very stressful situation. Your mind and body tense up and you are unwilling to comply. It seems as if you have to literally push yourself to work on these reports.

            The only person that can make the task harder is yourself. You know that in order to keep your job and support yourself you need to do these reports. There is no going around the situation. You are in a room and the only way out is to walk up to the door, grab the knob and simply open it, yet you are unwilling to even look at it. If you learn to accept your situation and accept the fact that if you want to keep your job you need to do your assignments, you reduce the stress-level tremendously. With acceptance, you cancel out any anxiety and strain you bring to the situation and with this extra space you have given yourself, you have room to get down and dirty.

            Learn to fully accept the situation and you make the doing a much easier process. (Of course, if you sincerely don’t like the situation then by all means change it via quitting your job, etc, etc. If you are unwilling to change the situation, then don’t complain about it. Now with this, we’re going into a whole new topic that I’ll cover another day.)

Actually Want to Do It:

            “If I want to do it, nothing is difficult. If I don’t want to do it, nothing is easy.”

-Sifu Shi Yan Ming

            This quote is probably one of the most influential ones I’ve ever read and applied to my life. I have never learned so much from one quote. If you take this to heart you will become unbeatable. It is never that you don’t have the ability to accomplish your goals and getting things done, it’s mastering and ultimately deciding exactly what it is you want. If you convince and focus yourself to want something, you will become unstoppable and you will bring your ‘heart’s deepest desires’ into reality.

            As corny as that may sound, think back to old Disney movies and things you were told when you were a wee youngster; hold your dreams in your heart and mind and your they  will come true. Choose to go 100% down a certain path and you will reach your destination. The only obstacle is yourself and completely choosing your path. Many find themselves torn between many different options and their indecisiveness makes them vulnerable to procrastination, underachievement and stagnation.

            I tell my younger brothers this and each time they get mad at me for saying this. I tell them, if you want to get an A in your chemistry class you will, but if you don’t want to you will surely not.

            As Steve Pavlina taught in his podcast, Faster Goal Achievement, the same applies here. When someone tells you about a goal they want to achieve, you can basically tell whether or not they will put in the work to accomplish it. Steve illustrates this perfectly when he says, “You know they will achieve their goals because they get it. Their end result resonates within them.” This is another way of saying they have chosen, 100%, to achieve their goal.

            You may be familiar with the quote from Archimedes, “Give me a lever, a place to stand and I shall move the world.” Master your ability to make complete decisions and the world will kneel before you.

Just remember, pass it on.

-YoYo

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