TCOBaG - kNow ThiNkIng AllOwEd

We are going to talk about some of those people you may envy, those ‘I can do it by myself and for myself’ types. But, are they really all they seem to be?

I think not.

“Self-starters, a myth?”

People who know me, know me well even, are often surprised to hear me say that I am lazy.

Yes, lazy. Me.

Lazy is my potential, and at times, it comes out more than others.

They always say I am being modest, that I work hard all the time, writing, speaking, teaching, and that they do not know anyone with more drive and that they wish they were a natural ’self-starter’ like me.

I laugh. Lightly

No one is truly a ’self-starter.’

Yep. It is completely true.

Don’t knock yourself for ‘not having the drive’ or not having the willpower (we talked about that, right?) to stay on track, get everything done, and keep at it.

We are all, including myself, subject to pressures.

These pressures motivate us, for lack of a better term, to go on, to do, to complete tasks, work, goals.

The difference is in where the pressure comes from.

We see people who we think are truly self-starters, taking the initiative, not needing to be coaxed, goaded, or pushed, to get their work or their lives going.

What we don’t see, is how they think.

For me, I know, I can be lazy. Really lazy, and a professional procrastinator.

I rely on certain pressures to keep me from falling into that trap. They are not always obvious to others but they nonetheless still exist and it is not ‘just me’ doing the pushing.

There are always pressures.

It might only be a deadline.

The day a bill is due. Or simply knowing that you must work, and usually work well, to get paid, in order to pay those bills.

Maybe it is only thinking about what others might say if you fail, or don’t deliver where you should.

Or what they might think, or even what they expect.

Maybe it is remembering the poor condition your life was in before, remembering those pep talks you gave yourself about how you were not going to live that way forever.

So, you see the pressure is often internalized and not easily seen.

But I assure you the pressure exists, and no one is really just naturally doing all that they can.

Everyone is reacting to these pressures, external and internal, in order to fulfill their own promise.

So, what can you do?

Find the right pressure.

Maybe you need someone to stay after you. Remind you of your goals, your promises.

Maybe you need to reflect a bit on why you really want to succeed, why you really must succeed. What will the pain be like if you don’t?

Maybe you are like me, and you need a little of both

That’s okay, too.

Just find the right button to push, keep pushing it when it is needed, and you will continue on the path to achieving your goals.

I promise.

I am also available for ’seat-of-the-pants-dusting’ on occasion