Great Circle

Remember when we were kids and ripping off that band-aid was such a trial? “I can’t do it: IT’S GONNA HURT!!!”

In my last Whetstone newsletter, I published a Laurie Beth Jones article on procrastination. In it, she made these points:

 We often choose the complicated ambling route … when if we just went straight at the challenges facing us, we’d have the problem beaten in no time.

Procrastination seems like a harmless and benign habit. But the truth is, procrastination is costly.

There is a time when the time is too late. Decisions delayed can cause major damage or heartache.

A recent post by Lisa Haneberg built on this subject for me, touching on it from another angle. In it, she describes actions we avoid because they downright scare us.

Quick moment of reflection: 

• Have you been continually avoiding things you want or need to do or say for some time now?
• Does it seem to you that they’ll bring you overwhelming pain or loss?
• Are you caught between recoiling from the prospect of pain and knowing it’s actually the best thing you can do?

While I’m not trying to minimise your challenge, it sounds a little like the band-aid, doesn’t it? Think about it. You have faced one of these moments before; you took the plunge; you discovered it either wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be or the benefits far outwieghed the costs! Sometimes the Nike philosophy (Just Do It) is the best approach…

Caveat: I’m not recommending recklessness or thoughtlessness. We’re not talking about telling your husband that you’ve had enough of his channel-surfing, and “either the TV goes or I go!“. I’m not suggesting you go postal at work. (Please don’t).

We are talking about things like

• being honest about your feelings,
• defending your boundaries,
• making a tough business decision,
• undertaking counselling,
• letting that troublesome-but-talented employee know they are on their final warning (whether or not they’re easily replaced),
• admitting you’re an alcoholic and entering rehab,
• returning to study…

… you get the drift.

We often look back on these “But I can’t do that” challenges at a later date and wonder “What was all that fuss about??”

Courage is the choice to believe that the pain of inaction is far worse than the pain of taking action.