SelfGrowth.com: Defeat Procrastination & Express Yourself Confidently

 [SelfGrowth.com]  Self Improvement Newsletter Improve Your Life Today!  8/8/16 issue:  Defeat Procrastination & Express Yourself Confidently Email for: {EMAIL} * Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter * Issue #934, Week of August 8-9, 2016 Publisher: David Riklan - [] In this issue: -- Quotes of the Week -- Article: 5 Steps for Overcoming Procrastination - By Michael Locklear -- Article: 10 Secrets to Expressing Yourself with Confidence - By Tricia Greaves -- Book Review: Ego Is the Enemy – By Ryan Holiday -- How to Advertise in the Self Improvement Newsletter -- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter ------------------------------------------------------------ *** Quotes of the Week *** ------------------------------------------------------------ “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” - Francis Bacon, 1561-1626 "All know that the drop merges into the ocean but few know that the ocean merges into the drop." - Kabir, 1440-1518 "He lives long that lives well; and time misspent is not lived but lost." - Thomas Fuller, 1608-1661 ------------------------------------------------------------ *** ARTICLE: 5 Steps for Overcoming Procrastination - By Michael Locklear *** ------------------------------------------------------------ Millions of people struggle with completing goals and overcoming challenges due to the habit of procrastination. In fact, it's one of the most common personal issues that people seek help for. There are several reasons why people procrastinate or avoid tasks. They can range from simple, basic laziness to fear of failure, lack of confidence in your ability, or simply a strong dislike for the task at hand. People commonly put off doing things because they don't know what to expect or what the outcome may be. They might fail, other people might laugh at them, they might look foolish, there may be a lot of stress, or any number of nonspecific anxieties. We all struggle with the fear of the unknown on a daily basis. It's the way we think and our perception of things that paralyze us and keep us in a pattern of avoidance. If you believe that something is unpleasant or distasteful, or that you'll fail if you try to do it, or if you believe that you will somehow lose something, you will probably make sure you never get around to it. In most cases, this only creates high levels of stress, or brings unpleasant circumstances. When you get in touch with how much pain you feel when you procrastinate, you can begin the first step to overcoming it. Many people procrastinate because of a lack of motivation. To fight this kind of procrastination, you can set rewards for doing these undesirable things. If exercise is difficult, try giving yourself a reward every time you go to the gym. You deserve it for having persevered. Next time, you may be just that much more motivated. For many people, procrastination consumes major amounts of time in their daily lives. Because of this habit, they don't get things done. This results in more stress, and more frustration. In the end, procrastination makes things far more difficult than they would be if you simply completed the task. Stopping procrastination means you can avoid all the pain of the failure procrastination causes. Other reasons why people procrastinate: • A lack of faith in your own abilities • Fear of trying anything new because of past failures • Low self esteem • The goal is not associated with a reward Procrastination is one of the most time-consuming activities one can engage in. It causes a great deal of stress and frustration. Here are five steps you can take to make overcoming procrastination simple. Step 1: Find your direction. Every time you procrastinate, write down the task you are avoiding and your justification for avoiding it. Keeping a record will help you understand how your attitudes are related to your procrastination. Then you can identify strategies to redirect yourself when you feel the desire to procrastinate. Always focus on the task you wish to perform and your reward when you succeed. Focusing on your reward is the most powerful way to overcome procrastination. "If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else." -Yogi Berra Step 2: Get focused You can easily become overwhelmed if you try to do everything at once. Instead break your goals down into simpler tasks. Start putting them into action, one at a time. Start as soon as possible. Take time every day to work on your goals. If you find it really hard to get started on a task, try working on it for ten minutes. This will usually help you get some momentum, and help you feel like continuing. Start with a simple task first, and be sure to visualize yourself completing the task. This will help you to focus on the goal, and the reward you will receive upon completion. "Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives." -Tony Robbins ** To read the full article, [go here.] ------------------------------------------------------------ *** ARTICLE: 10 Secrets to Expressing Yourself with Confidence - By Tricia Greaves *** ------------------------------------------------------------ For too many years I suffered from a bad case of “approval-seeking.” I was desperate for validation from others. I never wanted to risk stating how I felt about things for fear that it would rock the boat and cause conflict. As a result, I saw myself as a victim of others’ mistreatment or neglect, when the truth was that I was really just a victim of my own fear: I WAS AFRAID TO BE ME. Living my life dependent on the opinion of others was my prescription for inner turmoil, depression, addiction, and chaos. Learning to value my own opinions and desires has had a ripple effect through every area of my life: I am free to be myself, and in turn I can allow others to be whomever and however they choose to be. Here are some important lessons to remember as you learn to find and express your own inner voice: 1. How you feel and what you need are just as important as the feelings and needs of others. Instead of always dismissing your ideas and feelings as “not that important,” you need to value them and see that you are equal to all others. WHAT YOU FEEL AND THINK IS WORTHY OF BEING HEARD. 2. You will not die from saying how you feel. At one time I believed that either I would die, or others would die from hearing my honest feelings and opinions (I am not talking about being hurtful.) Only by practicing speaking up have I learned that this is not the case at all. Not only did I not die, I have become empowered. 3. You will not die if someone disagrees with your decisions. I thought I would crumble without the approval of others, but when I was willing to feel the initial uncomfortable feelings I experienced when others did not agree with or like my decisions, I got stronger and the fear of such feelings got weaker. 4. When you follow your own heart, people around you may at first be uncomfortable, but THEY ADJUST! It amazed me that no matter how threatened others were with the “new me,” when I persisted in doing what was right for me, they eventually settled down and got used to my new ways; in fact, they even respected me for them! ** To read the full article, [go here.] ------------------------------------------------------------ *** BOOK REVIEW: Ego Is the Enemy – By Ryan Holiday *** ------------------------------------------------------------ Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back. Ego Is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to his­tory. We meet fascinating figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who all reached the highest levels of power and success by con­quering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well. ***** The list Price of this book is $25.00. To purchase this book for $15.00 from Amazon.com, a 40% discount, [go here.]  ============================================= *** How to Advertise in the Self Improvement Newsletter *** To advertise your website or product to our Self Improvement Newsletter audience, go to [ To submit articles or other information, please send us an email at [editors@selfgrowth.com], or visit our Article Submission form at [    --------------------------------------------------- *** How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter*** --------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to our newsletter, please go to our Subscriptions Page at [ To unsubscribe or update your information, go here: [Manage Preferences] Copyright (C) 2015 by Self Improvement Online, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this newsletter only in its entirety and provided copyright is acknowledged. 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