Sunday, September 22, 2013

7. The Best Gift You can Give Yourself

Yesterday, I shared my thoughts about procrastination.

How do we justify our procrastination?

By giving some reasons for not doing what we have to do, of course.

Did I say 'reasons?'

I should have been a little more honest in answering this question!

It is not 'reasons' but 'excuses!'

What's the difference between the two?

Well, given that my excuses have been so perfect, I may not be able to identify the difference!

A simple distinction can be that reasons are things you are unable to control and excuses are things which you can control to a great extent. 

In fact, excuses are mostly created by your subconscious mind, to be passed off as reasons for your inaction. 

To give you an example, if you were knocked off  by a speeding vehicle when you were taking a morning walk and confined to a hospital bed,you have a reason for not doing things. 

On the other hand, if you discover you have severe headache and get yourself laid on a bed and spend your time watching the TV and sipping cups and cups of coffee, then it's an excuse. 

Headaches are not always self-created. But headache is something your mind can easily create when you are looking for a 'good' reason for avoiding doing something.

It's up to you to analyze your reason and decide whether it is a real reason or a convenient excuse. All of us are too familiar with such situations and any attempt by me to expatiate on this will be superfluous.

But then, I am supposed to talk about a gift. Don't worry. I am not digressing. I'll straightaway mention what the best gift you can give to yourself.

The best gift you can give yourself is freeing yourself of excuses! 

Don't allow excuses to dictate your actions.

Every time you catch yourself using an excuse, convert the opportunity into giving yourself a gift. 

If you can follow this simple practice, even within a few days, you will discover how valuable these gifts have been to you.

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