My Mother always said ‘Procrastination is the Thief of Time’ – she was right!

“Emancipendence” month has almost passed again and while thinking about our brave heroes who fought tirelessly, sacrificing their lives for freedom – their freedom and our freedom which we now enjoy in 2017, I wondered what gave them the drive and determination to rail against the status quo until they were able to change it?

It takes a very special kind of mental, emotional and spiritual fortitude to keep going, even when the odds are against you. Some of us even find it difficult just to move forward on simple tasks that we know we have to get done, much less taking on goals of this magnitude!

One key problem that many of us face, at least a few times in our lives, is PROCRASTINATION! Since it is so pervasive I thought I would share a few NLP pointers on how to deal with this pesky, paralysing devil.

The first thing you must understand is the difference between TOWARD and AWAY FROM motivation. As human beings we are generally motivated either by pleasure (TOWARD) or pain (AWAY FROM). Some of us are more ‘toward’ people (motivated by the dream, the carrot and the reward) and some of us are ‘away from’ people (motivated by punishment, the stick and the consequences).

Ask yourself, am I likely to say ““I am working and saving hard for a new car” or more likely to remark: “I shall be glad when I don’t have to walk or take the bus anymore”? Neither is right or wrong and when it comes to procrastination, often persons may be using a strategy that is inappropriate in getting them unstuck.

So this week, figure out which category you tend to fall into, and then explore which strategy you are using to move yourself to do the task you have been procrastinating about. Try using the opposite strategy and see if that gets you going. Make sure you make a very sensory rich representation of either the consequence you want to avoid or the reward you wish to achieve. Really make it REAL (meaning, make the picture as clear, vibrant and colourful as possible, add sounds and feelings that heighten your attraction or repulsion). Step into the picture, and looking through your own eyes, experience the moment fully. Open your eyes and see how you feel…are you ready to get going yet?

In my next post, I will introduce you to a technique called ANCHORING, a prelude to CHAINGING ANCHORS, which is an excellent way to get you off of procrastinating.

Of course, if you would like to learn the detailed steps to manage your thoughts, your emotions and your behaviour to achieve personal and professional success, then you can enrol in my NLP Practitioner Certification programmes (if you are coming from overseas, I can help arrange a B&B and transportation if you like!)

You can email me at nlptrainingjamaica@gmail.com for further information.

In the meantime, stay cool, uncover your excellence within and inspire others to discover their own!

To Your Success!

Elizabeth Terry, Certified NLP, Coach, Hypnosis and Time Line Therapy(R) Trainer