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Fully licensed Faith-Based Clinical Counseling
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Illinois)
Licensed Professional Counselor (Pennsylvania)
My Blog
Blog
A Faithful Person's Prescription to Overcoming Procrastination.
Posted on August 13, 2013 at 4:11 PM |
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Recently I ran across a 5-step prescription for beating
procrastination (Burns, Ten Days to Self-esteem, 1989): 1.
Don’t put
the cart before the horse. Instead
of waiting for motivation, get started.
Action comes first, and motivation comes second. 2.
Make a
specific plan. Instead of telling
yourself you’ll get started one of these days, make a specific plan. Would you like to start today? At what time?
What will you do first? 3.
Make the
job easy (little steps for big feats). Instead of telling yourself you have to do it
all at once, decide to do just 10 or 15 minutes of the task. Break the task into small steps, and remind
yourself that you only have to take the first small step today. 4.
Think
positively. Write down the negative
thoughts that make you feel guilty and anxious; substitute others that more
positive and realistic. 5. Give yourself credit. On the surface, the
process above seems plausible enough. Upon
further examination, however for those desiring a faith-based approach, there
are a few important issues left unaddressed.
Here is a revised “ faith-based” list of steps to overcoming procrastination: 1.
Pray
before even attaching the cart to the horse. Ask for God’s guidance and the ability to
discern His will for the situation. Be
willing to have an open heart for whatever the solution might be. God has three answers: “Yes”, “no”, and “not yet”. Most of us have problems with the “no” and
the “not yet.” 2.
Follow God’s
plan. At first, praying and waiting
might seem to only add to the procrastination.
A priest once told me, “God is slow.”
I was taken aback by such a statement but the more I meditated on it,
the more I realized the issue at hand: God
is not bound by time, everything happens as the Word speaks. Desiring our answers yesterday, our finite
small brains have a tendency to measure and magnify each second as we occupy
this universe. But the truth of the
matter is that even if we have to wait the duration of our entire life it is
but a speck when viewed in the Light of Eternity. 3.
God makes
the job easier. I agree that we do
have to take little steps, especially if we are children of God. A baby doesn't learn to walk by first
running. We can take comfort in knowing
that we have a Heavenly Father and Mother who can catch us if we happen to fall
along the way. A big component to why
people procrastinate is fear of failure.
If we allow God to come with us on the journey, we don’t need to fear
failing. This is what taking a leap of
faith is all about. 4.
Think
guilt-free. Are there are any sins
obstructing your path? Remember, there
is nothing that a good Confession cannot take care of. The best way to have an open heart to God’s
voice is to clean that heart of any junk that may have accumulated. 5.
Give God
the credit. Remember, humility is
not putting oneself down. It is
realizing who you are in light of God’s creation. Praise God for whatever the result might
be. In everything do your best with
whatever grace is given to you. Be at peace in leaving the outcome to God. Even if that outcome on the surface appears
to be less than optimal. Surely, I wait for the LORD; who bends down to me and hears my cry… Blessed the man
who sets his security in the LORD, who turns not to
the arrogant or to those who stray after falsehood.You, yes You, O LORD, my God, have done
many wondrous deeds! And in your plans for us there is none to equal you.
(Psalms 40:2, 5-6). |
A Little More About Hope
Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:15 PM |
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Seizing the Moment If you have not already noticed, an image of downtown Chicago appears on the "location" tab of this website. There is a little story behind that picture. I am fond of it because I took it myself and it was one of those unanticipated occasions to take a really nice picture. Usually I see something and by the time I am finished fiddling with my camera or I-phone, the window of opportunity has passed, like many of my failed attempts at stealing a picture of my kids or getting my cat to pose. But this time I was successful and was able to seize the moment. It is only a camera phone image. It was taken about an hour after I felt my high rise building sway. An earthquake had hit the east coast in Virginia several hundred miles away. That afternoon I happened to look out over the river and I saw the beautiful rainbow emerge over the city. It was there long enough to get my camera phone. What About Those Shaking Hills? What a strange series of events! And isn’t that just like life? Rainbows remind me of God’s promises, like after the flood in the Bible. And as such to me seems interesting that a beautiful rainbow appeared on a day when several hundred miles away the earth had been shaking. Sacred Scripture Speaks of "shaken hills". “Though the mountains leave their place and the hills be shaken, My love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken, says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” (NAB, Isaiah 54:8-10). God's Promises are True What a beautiful promise from God and what a great source of Hope. I know that there are lots of people right now who are struggling with some very serious issues. In fact difficulties and crises never come at a good time. But no time is ever a good time. We are too busy trying to live life to have to stop to deal with a problem. I know that there are those dealing with cancer, broken relationships, unemployment, addiction, financial hardship and many other things. But in spite that the “hills be shaken”, God’s promises hold true. I know that no matter what we might be facing, there is a Light that shines in the darkness. Even now as we are in Fall and soon we approach the dead of Winter, the new life is just around the corner if we can just hold out til Spring. That is like Hope. When I see this special image, it makes me say, “God bless my city. God bless the people within it.” There is hope for all of us. For some reason, in my heart — I know that God’s promises are true. |
Categories
- Year of Faith, Jesus Knocking (1)
- Almsgiving (1)
- Charity (4)
- Lent (1)
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1)
- Following God's Will (7)
- Procrastination (2)
- Living in the present moment (1)
- Decision making (2)
- Divine Mercy (1)
- St. Faustina (1)
- Aging, birthdays, Sacred Heart of Jesus (1)
- Saints (3)
- St. Rita (1)
- Cousneling (4)
- Thomas A Kempis (1)
- Pilgrimage (1)
- Pope Benedict XVI resignation (1)
- Our Lady of Lourdes (1)
- Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Where's God?, Crucifixion (2)
- Forgiveness (4)
- Know oneself (1)
- You are loved (2)
- Padre Pio, Stigma, Bilocation, St. John Cantius Church (1)
- Hope, God's Promises (2)
- St. Teresa of Avila, Prayer (1)
- Thriving, coping skills, fight or flight, abundant life (8)
- Bartimaeus (1)
- Persistence (2)
- Seeking help (6)
- Christmas, Holidays, Advent (2)
- Parenting skills (1)
- Feast of the Holy Innocents (1)
- Suffering (4)
- Change and transitions (5)
- Sleep (1)
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