True confession time: I am an inveterate procrastinator. I have been all my life. Maybe it’s my Leonine nature; with a birthday in August I definitely have some cat-like tendencies toward an independence from all those things waiting to be done.
And here’s another confession: when we unpacked the “good China” during our most recent move-in we tucked it away in a cupboard over the refrigerator – a rather difficult to get to area – because we don’t use the good China!
So, what’s this post of Rosemary’s about; and what do I take away that it might be good to consider?
The key paragraph that speaks to me is this one:
When you are connected to your inner wisdom and your spirit guides, you can check in to see what your next step is. Sometimes the message might be to capture the idea and then schedule it, even if it is not to be acted upon today. But often we challenge or question the energy of the guidance and step back to analyze until we have moved away from pursuing the action.
Yes, there are certainly times when I do “step back to analyze” and then the opportunity slips away and the guidance for the “next step” is ignored. This is the downside of procrastination. But here’s the thing: I do receive and hear a lot of guidance. And yes, often what I do with that guidance is put a task on my to-do list. In a sense this is putting it off; however, I do use my task list to get things done.
Lists really work for me. I learned yeas ago that if I can get a task listed and scheduled it will get done. It may not even get done on the day I first schedule it (the procrastination habit is tenacious!); but it does get done. This is my solution to my “Leonine procrastination” trait.
So, then I look at Rosemary’s comment on “Universal Flow” – When you follow the energy of the idea you receive then you are staying in the flow of the creative energy that comes to you from your connection to Universal Flow. She actually implies that when we are in this flow perhaps we are not procrastinating at all! She also implies that it’s OK to put off, even ignore the “shoulds” our egos present to us!
I often do have the sense that I am in a kind of flow, a rhythm in my life. And when the list of tasks obtained from guidance is used to channel the flow of my days I feel good, accomplished and content. And I have long since given up the idea that my task list for any given day will be exhausted. I have accepted that it’s OK to slide a task to another day; and sometimes tasks even drop off the list when they are overtaken by other tasks or they lose their importance within the flow. Perhaps those dropped tasks were in the “shoulds” category!
When I am in flow, in the rhythm of life I tend to feel productive; tasks get checked off, others get moved, some even dropped. An “old tape” may start up in my head accusing me of procrastination. But, if I really examine my life and accomplishments, maybe I’m not such a bad procrastinator after all!
What drives your life? Do you let your ego over-schedule you with shoulds then beat yourself up with labels like “procrastination”? Go inside for guidance. Listen for direction and list the tasks you can undertake to move in that direction. This moves you into flow and purpose!
Meanwhile, maybe I’ll get that good China out this weekend—for just the two of us!
Mystic Messages 
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Everybody’s Talking At Me
October 23, 2013 — RosemaryRemember that song? Who is talking at you? Whose voice do you here in your head? What are you hearing and believing without processing it to discern if this is true for you today?
We all have those ‘old tapes’ playing in our mind and sometimes it is difficult to figure out that we don’t have to listen to them anymore. The first step in personal growth is to decide on YOUR TRUTH in this present moment.
Ask yourself, ‘Is this thought, belief, rule true for me?’
For example, children are often taught family rules that no longer apply as they get older. In our house, there was a rule that ‘you go home when the street lights come on.’ We could play in the neighborhood with our friends but when it was dark enough for the lights to come on, we had to head for home. Obviously, when we got older that rule no longer applied.
But what about rules like ‘you must go to church every week’ or ‘every one in our family goes to college’ or ‘success is measured by how much money you make’? These ideas live in our unconscious mind as if they are Truth with a capital T. Have you hauled out these so-called ‘Truths’ and examined them for their relevance in your life today?
Here’s an insidious one. ‘I can only stay in bed if I’m really sick.’ What if you’re tired, overworked, starting to get sick but able to fight it off if you rest today? Can you give yourself permission to go to bed even if you’re not very sick? Or do you wait until you’re truly unwell before you allow yourself to slow down?
The beliefs that do the most harm come from thoughts we might have had as a kid or that someone said to us like, ‘you’re stupid’ or ‘you’re not good enough’ or ‘you’ll never make anything of yourself.’ Maybe you even said ‘I’m stupid’ or ‘I’m not good enough.’
Let’s set the record straight right here, right now. You ARE good enough, smart enough, pretty enough. You ARE enough!
Your soul chose this lifetime to be on Planet Earth with the family that you have, the circumstances you are in, the location where you were born and the place where you now live. All of this is to help you learn the lessons of this lifetime.
You came into this world with all the resources that you need to learn those lessons. All the people and circumstances are around you to help you learn. And sometimes the lesson is to learn how to ignore what you are hearing or to move away from a place or people who no longer serve your personal growth.
Anybody who is ‘talking at’ you is learning their own lessons. They might be projecting those lessons onto you but you have a choice about whether or not to accept what they are saying. You are always at choice.
Today, give away those old tapes. Send back the thoughts and beliefs that do not apply anymore. Choose what you will believe about yourself.
You are enough! Create healthy self-talk so that you drown out the voices of those who are ‘talking at’ you!
PS: Are you waiting to hear from The Other Side? Maybe an old belief will be revealed. Are you looking for advice from beyond the usual, through a gifted Medium? Join Rosemary for a Conversation with The Other Side at 7:00 PM Eastern, November 1 – All Saints Day. If you are in Maryland, join us in person. Or, join us by televideo conference or simply by phone. Learn more here.