From Laziness to Productivity

Sometimes in life we find ourselves in a rut. We find ourselves stuck in the same place doing the same thing--nothing. This can happen due to circumstances in life that we have absolutely no control over. We might get laid-off; we might get depressed due to personal problems; or we might have to stay still just waiting on something to open up due to a pandemic. Life happens but life goes on too! Time waits for no one.

I'll confess. Due to personal medical problems, I became lazy. I was so depressed. Words will not accurately describe how I felt inside. My body and my mind suffered greatly. The doctors told me I couldn't work. My family told me I couldn't work. My counselors told me I couldn't work. I was so depressed because I had what they call a mental break. I was ashamed of the diagnosis I received, which I now know was a misdiagnosis. However, at the time, the diagnosis made me want to commit suicide. To say the least, I was in no frame of mind to be productive. I had to take baby steps.

A man asked me one day: "How did you bounce back from your break?" My answer was simple: "GOD."

You cannot excel at life being lazy. I had a lot of "I can't" that I was wrestling with in my mind. The doctors planted that seed but I definitely watered that seed. It grew out of my control. I felt as if I was failing at life because I wasn't doing what I went to school to study. Everybody wanted to know why I am not a practicing attorney. My mind and body kept me prisoner. My mind was sick. My body was sick. I took my baby steps and turned them into small victories. I kept pushing and praying. Then, GOD made a way!

I want to share with you 8 ways to go from laziness to productivity.

8 Ways to Break-Up Laziness

1. Focus on why you are lazy. Identifying and acknowledging the problem is key. Every human being needs to a self-inventory checklist. If you check-in with yourself from time to time, you can easily see where you are is not where you want to be. You can make the decision to change it.

2. Forgive Yourself. Forgiving yourself may take a little or a lot of effort but it is paramount to you making a change. You may not be able to accomplish this feat overnight but work on it every day. You can pray about it and give it to GOD.

3. Be Mindful. You can make a conscious choice to get up and do something to get you going. You can even read a book to stimulate your mind, which will, in turn, make you want more out of life than just watching t.v. all day.

4. Seek Help. Do not be afraid to ask people for help. You can ask them to help motivate you. You can ask them to help find you a job. You can go into counseling. I am a stern believer in counseling because we can all get a little crazy living in this crazy world with crazy people.

5. Create a To-Do List. When you wake up in the morning, list at least 3 things that you want to accomplish. Then, tend to each thing deliberately. You can even write out the time that you're going to set aside to do these 3 things.

6. Exercise. Nothing gets you going like exercising. Even if you hate exercising, you always come away from a workout feeling better than before you exercised. When you feel better, you want to do more for yourself and others.

7. Reward Yourself. It is always good to show yourself some appreciation for doing something that you have been procrastinating about. You can always reward yourself by taking yourself out to dinner or to a movie. The reward is up to you.

8. Adopt the "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" Attitude. Once you get yourself out of your rut, keep going. Don't give up on life. Don't give up on you! No matter what happens in life, you must press towards your goals. It is never too late. Even if your plans get modified, you need to keep walking in the direction that leads to that open door.

Here I am purposely engaging in living an inspired life!

Blessings,

Rachel Mason