When the alarm would go off, that “Old You” would say, “You are so tired. It is okay to lay here for a few more minutes. You can workout tomorrow.” What would she do? She would hit the snooze button.
As I was listening to her share what she was doing, I stopped her and said, “Do you know what that snooze button really is?”
The look on her face told me she wasn’t following what I was talking about. When I didn’t say anything, she thought for a moment and with a big grin on her face said, “I got it! That snooze button is another way of procrastinating.”
I smiled and said, “You got it. Here is what I want you to do. I want you to tape the word ‘procrastination’ on top of the snooze button. Each time you reach for it you will know what you are doing.”
How many times do you hit the snooze button in life? You talk about what you need to be doing or what you are going to do, BUT when it comes times to do it, YOU hit the snooze button.
You know what I am talking about. There are things that have had continuation in your life for years that keep robbing you of time, energy and possibilities. Every time you hit the snooze button, you lose!
When you hit the snooze button, you send yourself and others a message that you aren’t serious about what you are saying. Many times others are pushing you to get done what you have said you are going to do, so you tell them you will do it, but the minute they leave, what do you do? You hit the snooze button. Reality is the contradiction becomes just another form of a lie.
When you hit the snooze button, you are narrowing your world of possibility. While you are dozing, life is still happening. Every day that you sit with your eyes closed you are missing possibilities that are always present.
I listen as people talk about how “tough their life is,” “how they just can’t get their life out of second gear,” “how they don’t understand why their life isn’t what it should be.” The message they need to hear is, “STOP HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON!” Every time you hit the snooze button, you lose!
When you hit the snooze button, you are really offering an excuse for what you don’t want to face or do. You have to have an excuse to give yourself permission to procrastinate. Procrastination shuts down your creative side and increases your emotional presence. Excuses are emotional justifications. Every time you hit the snooze button, you lose!
When you hit the snooze button, you operate as your own enemy. The greatest battle you fight is with you, not others. You pick on others so you don’t look funny shadow boxing. As long as you stand in your own way, you are going to continually get knocked down. That will cost you success. Every time you hit the snooze button, you lose!
When you hit the snooze button, your zest for life diminishes. Procrastination steals energy. Procrastination drains your internal spirit. If you don’t have energy, you don’t have focus. If you don’t have focus, you feel lost in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. Every time you hit the snooze button, you lose!
When you hit the snooze button, you exit the world of improvement and strengthen your world of sameness. The human spirit needs to be fed! The human spirit needs mental exercise. The human spirit needs to be challenged. When these aren’t happening on a consistent basis, you are slowly and surely shutting down your center for power living. Every time you hit the snooze button, you lose big time!
So, how do you stop hitting the snooze button?
First, stop making procrastination okay! Realize what procrastination does to your life. It is an enemy designed to paralyze you.
Next, never make excuse making okay. An excuse is just another way of lying to yourself and others. As long as that behavior is okay, you are trapped in the circle of sameness and in that circle you will mentally die.
Order must be a big part of your life. Don’t talk about getting organized until you have order in your life. Order is the clarity that allows your imagination to see the journey. With order it is easy to prioritize your actions.
Open yourself to being challenged. You need people around your life that will hold you accountable. I believe in putting an accountability group in your life. We all need those who will challenge us with truth, but you have to be open to being challenged to accept this. If you aren’t, you will feel they are criticizing you.
The zeal for improvement must become a driving force. You have to want to be better. It won’t happen without your commitment, your consistency, your honesty, and you facing yourself.
Expand your understandings, adapt your presence and implement the behaviors that will bring about improvement. I can’t say it any clearer than that. We are talking about a process that is designed to deny your snooze button attention.
Every time you hit the snooze button in life, you postpone what that moment could mean to you. Procrastination is one of your top enemies; don’t let it win! Stop hitting the snooze button!
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