There is always a part of every human life that needs transformation, and some times it can be more than one. After all, we are just imperfect beings roaming around the world trying to improve our lives one way or another. I have always believed that life is never about perfection, and no matter how good we think we are doing in different parts of life, there is always room for improvement.
It's a different thing to know that you are struggling with something, and it's completely different when you are willing to or putting in your best to make amendments. Not many people are privileged to do both, especially the second part, and that's where minimalism made the mark for me.
Just yesterday, an incident occurred, and I had to reflect on my progress with procastination, an old time habit. It happened that I dismantled my chicken cage a few weeks ago with the intention of reconstructing something bigger and more protected.
I had every chance in the world to get it done in the last few weeks, but I kept postponing it. So yesterday, I had the opportunity to get some local hens at a cheaper rate but couldn't because there was no place to keep them.
There is a strict law against animals roaming in my compound because of their poop, so it would be unwise to purchase them because the cage can't be ready this week due to my tight schedule and I wasn't ready to call a carpenter who would condemn my materials.
The thought of missing out on that opportunity of buying cheap local chicken brought back memories of great opportunities I have missed out on due to procrastination, and even though I have made progress with it over the years, I still slack off once in a while.
I shared with my wife what happened, and she wasn't happy because she reminded me severally about the cage.
She called my attention to the fact that I already stopped procrastinating about things that concern others, but when it has to do with myself, I still feel comfortable procrastinating. That was one thing I never paid attention to until she mentioned it, and honestly, she was right about my procrastination habit towards myself.
When I was very younger, my mom always scolded me for procrastinating a lot. I was very comfortable with not doing things until it got to the deadline. At that point, I will start running helter-skelter to fix things, and luckily for me, things always worked in my favor.
Sometimes in 2013, there was an opportunity to travel and work abroad. I wasn't the only one, and we had a sponsor then who was willing to process everything on fair condition, but we needed to prepare some documents ourselves. As usual, I kept postponing getting those documents until it was too late. I hated myself for messing up such an opportunity, and it was the turning point for me.
I made up my mind to do away with procrastination, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. These things happened over and over again until I started adopting some minimalist practices. I didn't embrace minimalism because of my terrible habit but somehow, the lifestyle had a solution to my struggles, which was prioritizing what truly mattered.
The minimalist lifestyle doesn't give room for procrastination, and I knew that was my ticket to getting rid of my obsession with procrastination. I started practicing prioritization and was quite mindful about it. I wrote down things that needed to be done in accordance with their urgency and tried doing the necessary before the deadline. Sometimes, I set a reminder when it's super urgent and was happy about my little progress.
I started decluttering activities that weren't really necessary to create more time for other things and this helped me to stay focus on things that needed more of my time.
People around me noticed the changes, but once in a while, I still find myself slipping into my old habit. It felt normal for that to happen sometimes, but my wife's statement caused me to think deeply again. When it's me, it can wait, but for others, there is this need to do it quickly.
Does that mean, I don't prioritise myself? Honestly, I do but probably not as much as I should do and yesterday's incident was just a reminder for me that I wasn't done with the fight against procastination.
I know it sounds silly saying I have made progress despite still procrastinating about myself, but I really have made progress because way back, my habit was really worse. Whether it has to do with me or somehow else, I do procrastinate, but there is a lot of difference now. The deep reflection I had opened my mind to the fact that I still needed to be mindful and as well be more intentional about everything that has to do with me, no matter how small it is.
Like I mentioned, we are far away from perfection, and if we look deeply, we will be able to not just figure out that one thing we are still struggling with but as well find a solution. I believe I still am a work in progress, and there will continue to be progress until this habit becomes a thing of the past.
Is there a part of your life that requires transformation as well? It is important that you identify it first because that's the first step to seeking for a solution. Transformation definitely doesn't happen overnight, it takes time and you just have to trust the process.
All Image In The Post Are Mine