I love having written, produced an award-winning program, or have hosted great events that nourish souls. But it is agony for me to get there. I know and see the destination, but it’s the packing and getting there that never stops challenging me. I have a bit of a perfectionist beast inside me too that occasionally rears its head and blows hisses of not good enough, not worthy, flames in my direction, wakening me up in the middle of the night and can lead to me procrastinating.
Procrastination is a form of anxiety.
Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist, and neuroscientist, and the author of “Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind,” said in a WSJ article, “Procrastination is a distraction. Anxiety triggers procrastination, especially for perfectionists, because we worry our solution to the problem won’t be good enough. Procrastination feels better than being anxious or trying to come up with a solution.
Procrastination is an emotional response to fear.
Procrastination holds us back but is a mindset that can be broken. God is a forward moving God who tells us to go and that we may not be good enough yet, the Bible tells us that we can do “all things through Him who strengthens us.” Philippians 4:13. The issue is whether we are fully engaged and aligned with Him and His will or are we just accessing Him when fear sets in. Our mind needs to be sound and calm, and when we are anxious, or we lose sight of the road in front of us. The Bible tells us that we are to be “anxious for nothing” and to take our requests to God. Philippians 4:6-7. He will empower us if we stay connected to His will and courageous in the arms of Jesus. It’s a message I have had to be reminded of again and again and why my quiet time with God is essential.
Want to break through the fear and learn how to gain fortitude?
Merriam-Webster dictionary defined fortitude as “strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger and bear pain or adversity with courage.” In the world we live in today, we need fortitude and the strength to face the oncoming cultural winds that often bring pain and suffering. Fortitude is needed often to overcome the power of our procrastination. To step out of the fear into fearlessness.
When will you stop procrastinating and dig in and climb the mountain? God said He’d be with you. Trust Him.
