You're Not Lazy

Have you ever sat in front of an email for what feels like hours trying to determine what it will read like for the other person and whether or not you should send it?

Or have you ever known exactly what you want to accomplish, had some free time, yet found yourself doing anything BUT what you planned to complete?

It’s been more than a few times that I found myself in someway procrastinating the goals that I had set for myself.  And I know I’m not the only one.

When we do this - procrastinate, avoid, or forget our own goals - we are quick to blame ourselves.  We feel lazy or unmotivated. But, is that the real culprit? More often than not, there’s another reason.  Perfection, fear of failure/rejection, and uncertainty all work to derail us from our goals and our path.

I recently met with one of our Rebels, Justin, to discuss his progress on his goals.  (Side note: Justin’s name and identifying information has been changed for privacy purposes, but the story and outcomes remain unchanged)

Justin and I meet or have a phone meeting about once monthly.  He finished the course last year and has been working toward a sports and conditioning side business with the intent for it to become his main source of income.  Each meeting we determine his next action step or steps and touch base as needed during the month. A recurring goal continued to be to reach out to key people via email.  He was looking to make connections with others that were already doing what he wanted to do (one of the steps from the Bulletproof Career Rebellion Course).

Of all the action steps we’d identify, he kept skipping the emails.  He was missing out on some awesome relationships that could propel him forward and be a really good resource as he built his business.  He’d say he “didn’t have the time” or “would do it for real this month.” When I pressed him on the reason he hadn’t sent the emails yet we got to the real issue.

“I don’t know what to write and everything I do write sounds strange,” he admitted.  At its core, this was the result of fear of rejection and the desire to write the perfect email.  The solution was simple, I would read the emails for him before he sent them. This is something that’s been done for me by my mentors and peers.  The result of something so simple as proofing an email is astounding. It removes the barrier of doubt which can hold so many of us back.

Sending an email to start forming a professional relationship isn’t the only barrier we see people struggle with.  Some avoid asking for a raise, some resist speaking opportunities that could help them, and others don’t start posting content on a website.  We can break these barriers by having two types of people in our lives; people that push us (mentors and people that get/understand us) and supportive peers.  We need people that will proof an email or listen to our presentation or give feedback on a video to help breakdown the barriers we create.

I think this is the single greatest thing The Rebellion offers. We all need positive, supportive people in our lives to help create our Ideal Career. Some of us are lucky enough to stumble into a group like that, others need to go out and find one. 

Also, if this sounds like an intriguing way to approach your career and life, join us at the Professional Rebellion. There are many free resources, challenges, and newsletter updates and the Bulletproof Career Rebellion 3.1 course starts soon.