Tuesday Tip: Why Almost All Excuses are B.S.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP5520ODAUw[/youtube]
My clients come up with all sorts of excuses for not working on their applications.
Most of them seem absolutely legitimate ”“ a family member is sick or has died, people at work are not supportive, switching jobs, hectic travel schedules, moving homes or cities, having a baby, 80 hour work weeks”¦yes, it’s safe to say that these are all good reasons for having a tough time writing essays.
Watch this week’s video to see why I think every one of these excuses is essentially B.S., and what you can do about it.
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Here is a transcript for this video:
Today’s tip is about procrastination and it is inspired by my 4 year old daughter. My daughter is a gymnast and she is actually turning out to be pretty good. I usually take her to her gym class and I find it really hard to watch her because she is swinging around on the bars and I am cringing, terrified that she is going to fall on her head or something. Yesterday at the gym I was thinking that I can sit there paralyzed with fear for the entire 90 minute class, but it does not matter because my fears are my thoughts, and they have absolutely no power over her. As long as my daughter believes in herself she is going to keep on trying. Her success really depends on many things, but one of those things is believing that she can do it to begin with.
Related to this is the fact that procrastination is a very big issue for my clients and in general, for people applying to business school. What I have come to believe is that procrastination is at least 90% fueled by fear of failure and self doubt. Think about it ”“ if you were 100% positive that you would be admitted to Columbia Business School, wouldn’t you fill out that app even though your job is demanding, you are traveling a lot, your family member died, your boss was not supportive etc”¦ None of that would matter. Just like my daughter, if you knew you could do it ”“ you would rush to your computer and get it done. If you are procrastinating, deep down inside, somewhere in you, you are resisting doing the application because you don’t think it is going to matter anyway.
The good thing is that these thoughts are just thoughts. The bad thing is that you have got to control them or they will control you. So, get psyched, get motivated, truly believe that you can do it and make it happen. Get rid of the doubts, lose the fear, lose the excuses.
At my daughter’s gym, there are inspirational posters all over the walls ”“ my quote today comes from one of those posters – William Shakespeare once wrote: “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”
If you like my video, please “like” it, and tune in next week!
Interested in watching more? Click HERE to access the Stacy Blackman Youtube Channel.
