8 Steps to Overcome Laziness

Laziness is a mind problem that can kill your dreams and suffocate your happiness in life. Most people slump into a lazy habit of thinking and doing without knowing why and how to get out of it. This article will not only reveal why, it will also show you how to shake it off for good. Below are the eight steps that have helped others rise above mental inhibitions and unlock their mental energy for greater accomplishment: These eight steps are acronyms of the word L.A.Z.I.N.E.S.S:
1. L: Let go of suppressed negative emotions.

Your nervous system cannot stand repressed negative emotions. Unprocessed negative emotions such as anger, fear, frustration, resentment and shame generate huge amount of internal stresses that mess up the normal functioning of the nervous system, causing systematic adrenal fatigue. They also weaken the immune system, making you highly susceptible to illnesses. The most disturbing effects of repressed negative emotions are the symptoms of anxiety-related disorders that they generate. They suppressed the mind, making you to experience depressive episodes ranging from mild to severe.

When this happens, your motivation and energy level are sapped, leaving you with a sense of emptiness and lethargy. This is why you must let go of your past hurts in order to rise above low energy and mental exhaustion. Follow the path of one of my clients who broke free from depression when she wrote a 15-page letter to her dad expressing all her anger and frustration that has held her back for years. “You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger,” rightly expressed by Buddha, the ancient Indian sage. If you suffer from anxiety, stress or panic as a result of repressed negative emotions, check out my 7-week recovery programme here.

2. A: Attack Your Limiting Beliefs.

Limiting beliefs are negative thoughts, assumptions and ideas that weaken your self-confidence and limit your life-progress. Statements such as “I’m not going to be successful so there’s no point in trying; I’m too lazy, I’m not smart enough; I have a mediocre education; I am not attractive to the opposite sex; I am too old; I am too young; Nobody cares what I have to say; Nobody likes me, are all limiting beliefs that have their roots in our past unpleasant experiences. Unless you challenge your limiting beliefs, you cannot attain to the height that is possible for you.

In challenging your limiting beliefs for greater life-force, take the following four steps: first, write down all your limiting beliefs. Second, ask and answer this question for all of them; “How is this limiting belief limiting my progress?” Third, what empowering belief can I swap for each limiting belief? Fourth, what three action steps can I take daily to demonstrate my new empowering beliefs and move toward my goals?

3. Z: Zero Your mind and Connect to the Present Moment.

Once you have challenged all your limiting beliefs, the next step is to learn to calm your mind from worry, stress, and anxiety and connect to the present moment. If you lack motivation and desire to pursue and achieve something worthwhile, you will be prone to worry and emotional stress. Learn some basic relaxation techniques, and engage your mind at least twice a day in progressive muscular relaxation. This calms and clears your mind, as well as strengthening your personal power for creativity and productivity. The present moment is the place of peace and positive energy.

Anxiety and stress always want you to think only about the past hurt or the future uncertainties. It does not want you to connect and appreciate the present moment. Relaxation is nature’s tranquilliser that screens your mind against worry and anxiety. Learn to enjoy solitude and silence in an atmosphere of tranquility and relaxation. Exercise. Go for a walk. Do leisure activities that you enjoy. Engage in deliberate acts of kindness. All of these activities will unleash your feeling good and pleasure hormones and neurotransmitters such as endorphins and serotonin that will make you feel happier, stronger, and with a higher sense of positive energy.

4. I: Identify Your Dominant Passion.

Your next step is to identify your ultimate passion in life, if you have not already done so. Our ultimate happiness resides in our ability to self-actualise and make measurable progress in reasonable time. However, to self-actualise, you will need to be doing what you were shaped for. If you are doing the job that you hate, you will not be happy. You will also lack the positive energy and motivation to achieve your very best.

How do you figure out your dominant passion? Ask yourself the following questions, “ If money was no longer an issue for me, what one job would I continue to do with so much joy and passion? What unlocks my greatest joy and energy?  Whose burdens do I love to carry or unburden? Narrow your answers down to one ultimate passion, then gradually begin to build your entire life around it until it becomes your magnificent obsession.
5. N: Navigate Your Destination.

We empower laziness when we do not have a clear sense of direction in life. After you have identified your dominant passion, your next step therefore is to design your pathways that will lead to your ultimate life satisfaction. Navigate your destination. Like the captain of a ship, he or she takes the time to map out the destination first and how to get there before setting off. You will also need to do the same.

This brings peace and confidence into your mind even though your success is not guaranteed. Your willingness to set your goals and action-steps to achieve them put you among the top 3% of the population who are more successful, happier and highly motivated the the average person. Simply write down at least 3 things that you want to achieve in your life as related to your passion. Then identify three daily activities that you can start doing that will help you achieve these three things. Make sure that you write your goals and action-steps down. An un-written goal is nothing but mere wishful thinking. And wishful think just by itself lacks the energy to produce your desired future.

6. E:  Envision the Possibilities of Your Goals.

One of the most powerful human virtues on happiness and achievement is self-image. Your self-image is how you see yourself in your imagination. Whatever is imagined is real. If you see yourself as poor, lonely or as incapable of getting out of debt, that is what the universe will bring toward you. The universe mirrors your dominant self-image. On the other hand, if you see through your mind the image of yourself as advancing, successful, dept-free and happy, if you believe this long enough, life will compensate you handsomely for your positive beliefs.

This is why your next step is to start imagining the possibilities of the goals that you have set for yourself. Start to contemplate yourself as already having now all the things that you set as goals for the future. Feel the feelings of success and happiness as though you already had everything that you desire. This basically over time transmutes intangible goals into physical tangibility. One more important thing on this point; you must do your envisioning daily. Do it everyday, several times a day if possible. The more you envision your future, the greater your possibility to make it a reality.

7. S: Search for Mentors.

Laziness can be shaken off once you find a compelling mentor who can challenge, motivate and stretch you into productivity. “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest,” observed Confucius, the Chinese philosopher.  Learning through experiences is the most painful way of learning. Smart people learn by imitating others who have already created the future that they love to create themselves. Identify at least three proven mentors that you can start to learn from. Mentorship is learning through the mistakes, disappointments and regrets of others. Mentorship is a short-cut to success.

Look for those who have already achieved in these areas and understudy them. Find out how they overcame their limiting beliefs and life disadvantages. Study the values and principles that helped them weather the storms and keep their focus. The best way to gain mentorship nowadays is through books, audio/video materials. Chances are that you will not be able to have constant access (if you have any at all) to proven achievers you identify as your mentors simply because they are very busy. The best way to gain access to many years of experience and wisdom is to buy their books or listen to their audio/video materials or even attend their seminars or workshops. This will keep you inspired, motivated and action-driven until you begin to see your desired future unfolding before your very eyes.

8. S: Step Out In Faith: One Step-At-A-Time

In defeating laziness, your most important steps at the end of it all is to take the first step in the right direction. Take action. Now that you have let go of your repressed negative emotions, transformed your limiting beliefs, mastered regular relaxation, identified your dominant passion, navigated your destination, cultivated daily positive visualisation, and searched for at least three proven mentors connected to your ultimate goals in life. It is time you stepped out and start making things happen. Do not wait for things to happen to you. Start to make things happen.

Consistent actions are the keys to success and happiness. “Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action,” said Benjamin Disraeli, the former British Prime Minister. Begin your three action steps that you have already identified in step 5. Make them part of your daily routine. Develop strong self-discipline to carry them out daily whether or not you feel like doing them. Laziness can become habitual through repetition. But is is your responsibility to stand against the compulsion of laziness. Refuse to follow the path of least resistance.  Your daily routines are the building-blocks for the future that is coming toward you. Commit to immediate action.

Never be afraid to fail. Failures are simply stepping stones to success. Learn from every setback. Don’t be afraid to take the next step after a setback. Keep up knocking the doors of opportunities. Many doors will not open. But if you persist, your breakthrough door will open often times when you least expect it and from an avenue you least anticipate.

Wishing you all the very best,
Wale