Earlier in this series Magick to the Rescue:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Have you been a chronic procrastinator all your life? Or maybe you are just facing a truly mountainous task and you have no idea where to begin... so the best solution seems to be to not get started at all.
Welcome to the world of procrastination. Some of us have been citizens of this nation for decades while others just stop in on travel visas from time to time. Regardless, when you are in the land of procrastination you usually feel stuck, unmotivated, clueless, and guilty, yet not guilty enough to get you motivated to start on the task.
Heads up procrastinators! Feel guilty and stuck no more. In this article we will explain the most common reasons for procrastination, as well as a magickal solution that will kick you into gear so fast that your head will spin!
Common Reasons for Procrastination
As you might have already guessed, one of the most common reasons for procrastination is not knowing where to start. If you don't know how or where to take the first step, the second and third steps are definitely out of the question. If you have ever sat in a 12-step meeting, you will often hear the slogan, "You only have to take the first step to begin." While that is certainly true for 12-step programs, which have 12 neatly outlined steps, this offers little hope for those of us who don't have such a handy list... either for life or for a particularly nasty task.
Another group of procrastinators suffer from "list phobia." List phobia is simply the act of reading down a list and immediately getting stuck on the first item that you don't understand. Suppose you are given a list of seven instructions on how to perform a specific task. You might read through steps one and two just fine, because you understand what each step is asking you to do. But step three may turn out to be the show-stopper of the century for you. If you don't understand step number three, and you have list phobia, chances are high that you will never even read steps four through seven. Your mind will be so busy spinning around trying to figure out step three that you don't even remember steps one and two.
The third group of procrastinators get stuck when they can't figure out every single step required to complete a task. Suppose you are asked to put together a bridal shower for a co-worker. You might know most of the steps, but there are a few tasks that still baffle you. Perhaps you can't figure which types of flower arrangements would be best, or whether your co-worker would enjoy the usual bridal shower games or not. Or maybe you are not sure whether you should invite certain guests, and whether one or more people would get their feelings hurt if they were not invited. These are just examples of decisions that baffle this third group of procrastinators. The members in this group can't proceed until they have every single detail figured out. Flying by the seat of their pants is definitely NOT an option.
There are, of course, other reasons that people procrastinate. However, from a magkical perspective, almost all procrastination stem from a single misunderstanding. The easiest way to handle all forms of procrastination, then, would be to clear up this misunderstanding so that all of us in the nation of procrastination can migrate to the land of motivation and action.
The Magickal Cause of Procrastination
Although there appear to be multiple reasons that people procrastinate, magickally there is only one single reasons for this delaying tactic. The reason comes from a misunderstanding of the steps of the Magickal Creation Sequence. The Magickal Creation Sequence is just what it sounds like--these are the steps any magickal practitioner takes to create anything in life... from wealth and love to a harmonious family life or a fulfilling career. The order of steps in this sequence is unknown to most people in the world, hence there are a lot of procrastinators in the world!
So what is this big magickal mixup? The confusion arises from people putting two important steps in reverse order. These two steps are called the base decision and the control decisions. The definition of these two steps is simple.
Base Decision = The Yes/No decision to move ahead with the project or task
Control Decisions = The detailed decisions required to carry out the various action steps in the project or task
In our society, most of us are taught that we must first create a complete and thorough action plan before we decide whether to proceed with a project, a new business, or a marriage proposal. This principle of placing control decisions (the "how to" steps of an undertaking) before making the base decision (the "Go/No Go" decision) is the basis of most business plans. In today's world you have little hope of getting a bank loan or investor funding for a new business unless you have created a business plan that thoroughly outlines all the control steps that will be taken to ensure the business is a success.
Unfortunately, from a magickal standpoint, the creation of a business plan before deciding whether to proceed with creating the business is putting the cart before the horse. In magickal circles, the Creation Sequence tells us that we must make the base decision first. In other words, we have to decide whether we want to start a business or not before ever even thinking about how we will go about starting that business or making it a success.
While the idea of putting the base decision before the control decisions might seem a little reckless and irresponsible, it makes more sense when you consider the sequence from the Universe's point of view. While we humans like to think that we are the masters of our kingdom, the fact of the matter is that we could achieve barely one-hundredth of what we achieve without the co-creative help of the Universe. Certainly elbow grease and sweat equity plays a big role in the success of any enterprise, but how many of the people who are at the head of such enterprises have not prayed or asked for help from some higher being? Very few, if any.
The magickal reason to put the base decision before the control decisions is that the base decision alerts the Universe that we have a desire, and we invite the Universe to help us fulfill that desire with as little heartache and as few headaches as possible. By announcing our desires by making a positive base decision, we empower the Universe to get started right away in helping us fulfill that desire.
If, on the other hand, we get bogged down in control decisions, with no small amount of confusion, the Universe can't really decipher whether we really want to fulfill a desire or we are just playing around with ideas. Once the Universe gets the message that we have made a "Go" base decision, it immediately begins aligning the necessary resources, events, interactions, and other "coincidental" happenings that will help us fulfill our desire. With this kind of Universal orchestration, the number of control decisions we need to make along the way diminishes drastically. The Universe actually takes over the lead in the co-creative dance, and we simply need to remain open and aware to the many forms of guidance and help the Universe constantly drops on our path.
If you really like the feeling of your own sweat, blood, and tears, then by all means play with your control decisions before making your base decision. But if you prefer to tell the Universe, "I want this!" and then have the Universe help you make the necessary control decisions along the way, then choose to make your base decision first. You will work less and achieve more. You will produce more and enjoy more. Work will become play and play will become work. And procrastination becomes something you used to do. What more could you ask for?
Ready to stop procrastinating about making the decision to introduce magick into your life? We have plenty of free resources, online courses, ebooks, and Kindle books to help you get on the magickal road to making life easier and more joyful.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Welcome to the world of procrastination. Some of us have been citizens of this nation for decades while others just stop in on travel visas from time to time. Regardless, when you are in the land of procrastination you usually feel stuck, unmotivated, clueless, and guilty, yet not guilty enough to get you motivated to start on the task.
Heads up procrastinators! Feel guilty and stuck no more. In this article we will explain the most common reasons for procrastination, as well as a magickal solution that will kick you into gear so fast that your head will spin!
Common Reasons for Procrastination
As you might have already guessed, one of the most common reasons for procrastination is not knowing where to start. If you don't know how or where to take the first step, the second and third steps are definitely out of the question. If you have ever sat in a 12-step meeting, you will often hear the slogan, "You only have to take the first step to begin." While that is certainly true for 12-step programs, which have 12 neatly outlined steps, this offers little hope for those of us who don't have such a handy list... either for life or for a particularly nasty task.
Another group of procrastinators suffer from "list phobia." List phobia is simply the act of reading down a list and immediately getting stuck on the first item that you don't understand. Suppose you are given a list of seven instructions on how to perform a specific task. You might read through steps one and two just fine, because you understand what each step is asking you to do. But step three may turn out to be the show-stopper of the century for you. If you don't understand step number three, and you have list phobia, chances are high that you will never even read steps four through seven. Your mind will be so busy spinning around trying to figure out step three that you don't even remember steps one and two.
The third group of procrastinators get stuck when they can't figure out every single step required to complete a task. Suppose you are asked to put together a bridal shower for a co-worker. You might know most of the steps, but there are a few tasks that still baffle you. Perhaps you can't figure which types of flower arrangements would be best, or whether your co-worker would enjoy the usual bridal shower games or not. Or maybe you are not sure whether you should invite certain guests, and whether one or more people would get their feelings hurt if they were not invited. These are just examples of decisions that baffle this third group of procrastinators. The members in this group can't proceed until they have every single detail figured out. Flying by the seat of their pants is definitely NOT an option.
There are, of course, other reasons that people procrastinate. However, from a magkical perspective, almost all procrastination stem from a single misunderstanding. The easiest way to handle all forms of procrastination, then, would be to clear up this misunderstanding so that all of us in the nation of procrastination can migrate to the land of motivation and action.
The Magickal Cause of Procrastination
Although there appear to be multiple reasons that people procrastinate, magickally there is only one single reasons for this delaying tactic. The reason comes from a misunderstanding of the steps of the Magickal Creation Sequence. The Magickal Creation Sequence is just what it sounds like--these are the steps any magickal practitioner takes to create anything in life... from wealth and love to a harmonious family life or a fulfilling career. The order of steps in this sequence is unknown to most people in the world, hence there are a lot of procrastinators in the world!
So what is this big magickal mixup? The confusion arises from people putting two important steps in reverse order. These two steps are called the base decision and the control decisions. The definition of these two steps is simple.
Base Decision = The Yes/No decision to move ahead with the project or task
Control Decisions = The detailed decisions required to carry out the various action steps in the project or task
In our society, most of us are taught that we must first create a complete and thorough action plan before we decide whether to proceed with a project, a new business, or a marriage proposal. This principle of placing control decisions (the "how to" steps of an undertaking) before making the base decision (the "Go/No Go" decision) is the basis of most business plans. In today's world you have little hope of getting a bank loan or investor funding for a new business unless you have created a business plan that thoroughly outlines all the control steps that will be taken to ensure the business is a success.
Unfortunately, from a magickal standpoint, the creation of a business plan before deciding whether to proceed with creating the business is putting the cart before the horse. In magickal circles, the Creation Sequence tells us that we must make the base decision first. In other words, we have to decide whether we want to start a business or not before ever even thinking about how we will go about starting that business or making it a success.
While the idea of putting the base decision before the control decisions might seem a little reckless and irresponsible, it makes more sense when you consider the sequence from the Universe's point of view. While we humans like to think that we are the masters of our kingdom, the fact of the matter is that we could achieve barely one-hundredth of what we achieve without the co-creative help of the Universe. Certainly elbow grease and sweat equity plays a big role in the success of any enterprise, but how many of the people who are at the head of such enterprises have not prayed or asked for help from some higher being? Very few, if any.
The magickal reason to put the base decision before the control decisions is that the base decision alerts the Universe that we have a desire, and we invite the Universe to help us fulfill that desire with as little heartache and as few headaches as possible. By announcing our desires by making a positive base decision, we empower the Universe to get started right away in helping us fulfill that desire.
If, on the other hand, we get bogged down in control decisions, with no small amount of confusion, the Universe can't really decipher whether we really want to fulfill a desire or we are just playing around with ideas. Once the Universe gets the message that we have made a "Go" base decision, it immediately begins aligning the necessary resources, events, interactions, and other "coincidental" happenings that will help us fulfill our desire. With this kind of Universal orchestration, the number of control decisions we need to make along the way diminishes drastically. The Universe actually takes over the lead in the co-creative dance, and we simply need to remain open and aware to the many forms of guidance and help the Universe constantly drops on our path.
If you really like the feeling of your own sweat, blood, and tears, then by all means play with your control decisions before making your base decision. But if you prefer to tell the Universe, "I want this!" and then have the Universe help you make the necessary control decisions along the way, then choose to make your base decision first. You will work less and achieve more. You will produce more and enjoy more. Work will become play and play will become work. And procrastination becomes something you used to do. What more could you ask for?
Ready to stop procrastinating about making the decision to introduce magick into your life? We have plenty of free resources, online courses, ebooks, and Kindle books to help you get on the magickal road to making life easier and more joyful.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Or, visit our website for more great resources.
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