QUICK TO DECIDE, SLOW TO REVISE
Image: Tyler by Daniyel Lowden, Style by Loyc Falque for L’Officiel Homme
New Thought leader, Julia Seton wrote over a century ago about “this obsession with tomorrow,” which is a poetic way of describing procrastination. It can feel like the downfall of so many of us, and the obstacle between where we are and where we want to be. What’s worse, is we can start compounding the guilt that comes with feeling like we’re our own obstacle, and then we’re just left in a flurry of feeling bad AND not getting what we want.
One option?
Do the thing.
Before we feel ready.
Before we have all the logistics lined up.
Before it's … perfect.
Many of us wait until things are perfect before we hit the ground and go for our dreams. But the reality is that perfectionism is a means of procrastination and a way in which we delay sharing our gifts with the world. Does that mean that we don't give it all we've got and more? NO. It just means that done is always better than perfect and over time, we'll be able to refine our skills and offerings in a way that we wouldn't be able to do if we just sat on them, allowing them to collect dust in the shadows. When we make a decision to do something, it's already 50% done. We've got to let go of the need for control, push our dreams out into the world quickly, while the inspiration is hot, and then slowly, over time, we can make it better and better, day by day.
In Napoleon Hill’s 1937 classic Think and Grow Rich (discover our dissection of its chapters here), he writes specifically about being quick to decide and slow to revise. This concept essentially notes that done is better than perfect, and that there’s always room to iterate and improve on what we initially set out to do. Because what usually happens with most of our ideas and desires and hopes, is that they reside in some sort of action-less, paralyzed purgatory because procrastination can feel a lot safer.
But where does that land us?
Missing opportunities and feeling wistful about what could have, should have, and would have been, if we just did the thing…
Ultimately, the day we plant the seed is not the same day we eat the fruit. Remembering this can help us move through the mud of the first step as being victorious versus just necessary. If we want to write a book, or create a business plan, or start a website, or learn a new skill, the 1.0 version of any of it is always going to be less than perfect. Why would we expect anything to already perform at the highest echelon? If we accept this truth, that the first step we take into a new venture—professional or personal—is going to feel a little cringe and maybe not look exactly how we pictured it, then we can that much quicker get over our egos and move into juicy, satisfying momentum.
The biggest hurdle is just believing in ourselves enough to start.
And it’s not easy—we don’t claim it to be. In this newsletter, we’ll chat through the different reasons for procrastination and offer a short and sweet podcast episode about the vibration of procrastination. Having these conversations hopefully will release the stigma that some of us are more equipped to get shit done while the rest of us wade around, hoping our dreams come true. We’re all capable of getting out of our own way.
Image: 32- sided Czech glass fortune-telling dice
“THE ‘GOING TO DO IT’ TRAP”
From The Science of Success, Julia Seton, 1914
“The obsession with tomorrow spreads all over those who are caught in its negative dragnet. There are wonderful avenues of accomplishment opening on every hand, but something in their weak consciousness says “wait.” There is nothing in this world that ever springs spontaneously perfect. Creation, emanation, and evolution are cosmic laws and they’re human laws too. And no matter what we want, have, do, or are, we must begin before we can finish it and possess the fruition. Those who carry hidden hope, dreams, and desires hidden in their hearts and drag through days, months, and years without the courage of putting them to the test, have failed for standing ever before their unfulfilled selfhood.”
Image: SVEN CHRISTIAN
THE DES(SERT) SHOP IS NOW OPEN
Hi Everyone! Desirée here. We're back with another round of the Q&A sessions - This Q was perfect for this week's newsletter…
Q: Why do we procrastinate so much! How do I become more decisive?
A: Procrastination is one of those things where we just like to label it as such without looking under the lid. It's one of the ways we avoid things in life... but the question has a different answer for each of us: what exactly are we avoiding? Oftentimes we don't even ask that question and simply accept that we are procrastinators. In reality, it's a blanket covering up so much information that when uncovered, could help us reach new levels of success (personally + professionally) that we thought we couldn't touch. For some, procrastination comes from perfectionism, which seems contradictory but in reality we may feel that we can't get it done until we have all the tools to make it just so and until then, we just MAY AS WELL watch one more episode of fill-in-your-blank… Sometimes, procrastinating is actually our way of trying to take a break but we haven't created space or figured out how to fit rest into our lives so we label ourselves as "procrastinators" when in reality we just needed to take a minute or hour or day or week. For others, procrastinating is a way in which we delay responsibility for our own success. What if we actually did the thing? Then what? Would we be successful? How would we manage it and sustain it? What if we failed? If we can look at the underlying story beneath the label "procrastination" then we can begin to understand how and why we're holding ourselves back. With more understanding, we can create a game plan to move forward. With less understanding, we fall into the patterns of our habits. Our entire life is made up of habits. If we really want to level up, we've got to ask ourselves, "Are these habits serving me and my vision? If not, what can I do instead? And more importantly, which systems of accountability can I set in place?” Remember, it's very easy to let ourselves slide rightttt back to the sweet spot of the comfort zone. This equation is the very heart of Benshen Co. (plus the occasional hairball but that’s for another time).
Image: Magic, Willow Gray