Stop Trying

Last year while watching a Joyce Meyer podcast, I realized I needed to stop trying to do things in my life. I'll explain.

Whenever there was a task to be done wherein I either didn't know whether or not I'd be successful or I simply didn't want to be bothered with it at that moment, I'd say, "I'll try." This left plenty of wiggle room and a shelter from accountability. Watching Joyce instruct her audience to "just stop trying and just do it" seemed extremely empowering.

However, learning something and thinking it makes sense, still doesn't make it a personal conviction. I literally told myself, "I'm going to try to stop trying and just do it!" I'm fully aware of the oxymoronic logic there. But, at the time that seemed reasonable enough.

Continue ruminating...
Fast forward to the present day and I'm a woman who is launching a business, completing certification training, maintaining a blog, working with coaching clients, working an un-related full-time job with a little freelancing on the side, pursuing my hobbies and passions, and making time for my friends and family. It all at times seems like a lot to handle. It can get stressful. And, to be quite honest with you, sometimes I question whether or not I can handle it all.

But! Yes, yes, there is always a but! It seems like a lot and at times I question my own ability to successfully manage it all, BUT I most certainly can!!!

I know this because I'm not doing anything I don't feel God has instructed me to do. In fact, all of the things on my plate, for the most part, are what I've been created to do. Therefore, what He's called me to do; He's equipped me to do.

If this is the case, why wasn't I doing more? Why do I seem to be behind the 8 ball all the time?

Simple: Because I'm a procrastinator. I totally get the fact that I'm transitioning into a career that is all about helping others pursue their passions and goals, and doing it with urgency, but I remove myself from the equation. I've always been a better cheerleader and accountability partner for others than I was to myself. I believe part of what makes me so ideal for coaching is the fact that I have a deep and sincere interest in just wanting to be of service to others and seeing them succeed.

There are plenty of doctors who are smokers or overweight, just as there are dysfunctional therapists. So, just because you know better and help others to do better, doesn't mean you always implement it in your life. But enough of that. Joyce's words have finally become conviction.

On Sunday, my pastor spoke of temptation and the fact that there is no temptation that isn't common to man nor are there any that we aren't designed to resist. But, he put a new spin on that familiar scripture for me, and new revelation and conviction came along with it.

Christians sometimes get spooky pookey and throw all responsibility for everything in our lives to God. This removes any notion of accountability to ourselves out of the equation. But we shouldn't do that. He created us to be able to handle certain things on our own with what He has already placed inside of us. And, just in case you forget to use what you already have, He throws in a little grace along with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, I can resist the temptation to simply try to get things accomplished. I don't need angels to descend from the heavens and pinch me every time I need to get something done. I need to stop trying to do it and move to a place of JUST DOing IT. How? By better management of my time and the discipline to see it through.

By saying I'd try to do things, it exonerated me from having to take the higher road and do my best. I fall prey to the temptation of only doing my absolute best when I've deemed something important to me. It doesn't have to directly benefit me, just be what I consider important. But that shouldn't be the case. As someone who desires to operate in excellence, I should be disciplined enough to do my best on any task I've agreed to undertake. So, to diminish my urge to procrastinate, I'll say, "I'll do my best to..." and actually mean it and see it through.

To see some of the ways I intend to implement this new mindset in my life and tips on how you too can stop procrastinating, check out my post today over at Examiner.com.


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