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  • - [Instructor] Welcome to the meditation on procrastination.

  • And somewhat ironically,

  • I've been procrastinating making this meditation.

  • So we're all in the same boat together.

  • So as with all meditations,

  • posture and breathing makes a big difference.

  • So I really encourage you

  • to find a nice, firm seat to sit on.

  • If your legs don't fall asleep,

  • you can sit on the ground as well.

  • But try to sit with your back upright, really good posture.

  • Breathe in, breathe out,

  • a little bit slower, a little bit deeper every time.

  • You can lay your hands on your lap.

  • I like to leave them face up.

  • And when you're ready,

  • you can soften your gaze, and slowly close your eyes,

  • breathing in, breathing out.

  • Now procrastination is an interesting thing.

  • I'm not sure whether we human beings

  • are the only animals we know of that procrastinate.

  • It's maybe worth some research for somebody

  • to figure that out.

  • But we clearly do it.

  • And a lot of meditation

  • is about becoming aware of our thoughts,

  • and observing our thoughts,

  • and realizing that we are not our thoughts,

  • even though many times, our thoughts seem to control us,

  • or even overwhelm us.

  • And so let's do that.

  • Let's try to observe those thoughts

  • that are making us put off something

  • that we know we need to do.

  • Why do you think you are putting that thing off?

  • I'll tell you what happens to be usually

  • for my experience.

  • It usually is, I'm afraid to start,

  • because I might realize that it's harder than I expected,

  • or I might not do as well as I expected,

  • or I might make a mistake.

  • Maybe I don't think I'm prepared enough to start.

  • Another way to think about it is,

  • we're getting too caught up in the outcome

  • versus enjoying the journey,

  • or enjoying whatever the thing is

  • that you're putting off,

  • 'cause that's just a part of this fun experience.

  • And so I find that when I tell myself,

  • self, define yourself by the action, not the outcome.

  • Don't define yourself by whether you succeed or fail.

  • Define yourself as making the effort, showing up,

  • and enjoying it, laughing at yourself,

  • laughing at this mystery that we call life,

  • and just putting one foot in front of the other,

  • and realizing it's not so bad.

  • And then you can put the other foot

  • in front of that one, and keep going.

  • And slowly but surely,

  • you realize that you're making a lot of progress.

  • And the more you make that progress,

  • the more that you actually enjoy it,

  • especially if you're not doing it at the last minute.

  • And now, I'll give you about a minute

  • for you to repeat something in your mind

  • that can hopefully short-circuit any of those thoughts

  • that have been keeping you from taking action.

  • For the next minute or so, repeat to yourself,

  • that you really enjoy taking action.

  • You're lucky that you're in a position

  • to be able to take action.

  • The outcome?

  • It is what it is.

  • You enjoy action.

  • You're lucky to be able to take action.

  • The outcome is what it is.

  • Keep thinking that for the next minute or so,

  • and I'll be back, don't worry.

  • All right.

  • So when you're ready, really at your own time,

  • just become a little bit more aware of your surroundings,

  • a little bit more aware of your body,

  • a little bit more aware of your breaths,

  • and slowly open your eyes.

  • And so I'll finish with one last tip:

  • Sometimes we put something off

  • because it just feels big, or overwhelming.

  • What I like to do then is say hey,

  • let me just put 20 minutes towards it,

  • and see where I am at the end of 20 minutes.

  • If I didn't make any progress, no big deal.

  • It was juts 20 minutes.

  • But if I did make some progress, great.

  • I did the 20 minutes, I deserve a break.

  • If after a five or 10-minute break

  • I'm ready to put in another 20 minutes, awesome.

  • If at the end of the 20 minutes, I wanna keep going,

  • I shouldn't stop myself.

  • I should keep going.

  • (laughs)

  • But when you view things as hey,

  • I'm just committing 20 minutes to something,

  • it doesn't feel as intimidating.

  • You just own it.

  • You say hey, I can do anything for 20 minutes.

  • And I can enjoy anything for 20 minutes.

  • And then you'll wanna do it.

  • Put a smile on your face and own that action.

  • And not only will you make progress,

  • but you're gonna have a good time.

  • And so take it wit that playful mindset.

  • Enjoy it.

  • Smile.

  • And just get started.

  • And I think you'll find

  • you'll be procrastinating a lot, lot less.

- [Instructor] Welcome to the meditation on procrastination.

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