How many of you, are, or know someone who is procrastinating?

Today I’d like to introduce you to a process that will bump up your self-care and move you into action.

This exercise should be very personal to you. Every student that I have ever met has a story that makes me drop to my knees with compassion, so know that you are not alone.

Think of one thing that you would like to do, but are not taking action on…

Name one or two negatively charged emotions that you are feeling about this.

Fearful? Indecisive? Anxious? Numb? Frozen? Probably not relaxed.

The more you can experience yourself in a relaxed emotional state, the more internal resources you will have to allocate towards moving forward. It is very important to notice the contrast between your logical mind (what you would like), and your emotional state, (the part of you who won’t have it).

Here’s a brief example of how my mind and feelings were at odds when I was a first year teacher.

I was terribly afraid to lead parent teacher conferences. Sensations of self-consciousness, embarrassment and self-criticism over rode my love of teaching, especially when I was undergoing reconstructive mouth surgery and had no teeth for awhile.

I was fortunate enough to pay close attention to my fears and shift my focus to a more preferable outcome. Rather than shying away from parent teacher conferences all together, I placed a bandaid over my upper lip and forced myself to schedule them.

The first step is to name the emotions that are sabotaging your motivation to take action. -------> I had overwhelming anxiety associated with embarrassment from having lost all of my upper teeth.

The second step is to imagine the experience you would like to have.

-------> I wanted to perform well in my new teacher role. I wrote down as many loving moments I could think of about the children in my class.

The third step is to rename your struggle to something bigger, a more spiritual undertaking: -------- > I kept reminding myself, that, “This was such a huge step for me, “If only I could do a great job leading parent teacher conferences, (even when I had no teeth and felt self-conscious), I would really nail the essence of each child to their parents, and that would feel so amazing!”

I began to really feel like I was repairing a gateway to my soul,” if anyone asked.

Let’s try it together!

Close your eyes for a moment.

Ask yourself, “What is one thing that I am procrastinating about?"

Big or small it doesn’t matter.

Now ask, “What is one experience that I would like to have when I am able to act?” Check if any of the below 4 things if they are getting in your way.

1) You don’t have a clear vision.

2) You don’t know the next steps to take.

3) You perceive taking action as painful.

4) Action obligates you in some way.

“What is one one doable step I can take this week towards the experience I would like to have if I knew what to do and how to do it"?

Even if you come smack up against your mind’s criticism towards what you really would like, like my mind, test yourself anyway.

As you begin to place your focus and attention on the experiences you would like to have… and take one small doable action step towards your most preferred outcome, notice your mind beginning to relax.

Exercising your mind so that it disengages from feelings that seem in direct opposition to what you would like, will begin to free up stagnant energy in the body in favor of a more in sync body /mind relationship .

I believe that by placing attention upon the personal nature of how not taking action is impacting you, along with resolving the want to/but can’t conflict, it is possible to arrive at a new choice point that will move the needle towards action.

Ideally, it is my deepest desire for all of us to envision more preferred outcomes, and to take small doable action steps towards the preferred outcomes that most meaningful to each of us.

I believe that each one of us has the capacity to set into motion a body mind relationship so aligned and connected that that relationship can literally reframe and resolve even the strongest resistance to taking action.