
Heartwarming, enlivening and inspiring is what comes to mind - and with a heap of ahas, new possibilities and even a new lightness of being pervading the room. Then there was the howling and laughing. No need to tell you what all that does for the endorphins!
This issue is of particular interest to women with a big commitment to leave the world a better place.
Thank goodness we had a lot of experts in the room we could call on. Read on for the key learnings, ahas and actions from this learned and experienced group.
What we're talking about
Implicit here is a negative consequence to the actions. That puts procrastination in a whole different ballpark to the more straight-forward, intentional practice of delaying a task or otherwise creating a clearing for action. It is also different to prioritising or scheduling. (Keep this conversation in mind for when we later talk about procrastination and creativity.)
Procrastination shows up in a heap of ways including perfectionism, avoidance, feeling stuck, self-sabotage, overwork, overwhelm, indecision, negativity-thinking and fear of failure. Even apparent thrill-seeking may be included, eg for those of us who do assignments at the last minute due to continually putting off the inevitable.
Locked in by fear
There is a real cost associated with procrastination, isn't there, for both the longer term and in the immediate moment - and on so many dimensions.
Of course you will have heard most of this before since the inner critics have a LOT to say around this topic, since they have a vested interest to have us get 'off it'. Or do they??
There is a real cost associated with procrastination, isn't there, for both the longer term and in the immediate moment - and on so many dimensions.
Of course you will have heard most of this before since the inner critics have a LOT to say around this topic, since they have a vested interest to have us get 'off it'. Or do they??
Imagine doing step aerobics where we are sitting ducks for getting beaten up at every step, and there's a powerful force dragging us in the other direction for every tiny move we made - while putting us down and telling us in no uncertain terms to get on with it.
We know from science and practice that that approach totally doesn't work for changing behaviours for the better.
Procrastination vis a vis creativity
However from what we understand of brain functioning, access to creativity reduces when fear is present. In fact, creativity is WAY harder to access in the presence of fear. It's that amygdala part of the brain in action, whereas we need action in that area to diminish to allow the prefrontal cortex to come into play for creativity.
When we make a space for creativity, for incubating ideas, it is a conscious action, a choice to make space.
See how the clearing for creativity, eg the artist break, can be understood as a consciously choice of delay - eg taking a space between the start and finish of a project. It is not that sort of hunted or out-of-our-control feeling that we associate with procrastination.
When we label this action, this honouring of our creative dimensions as procrastination, we fall in line with the proclivity of the Inner Critic to position anything as bad, especially if it's a dimension of us. Plus this put-down fits in with the lesser value placed by society on mindfulness, creativity, being present. Hmm - participating in a conspiracy theory against us, maybe?
Let's name and claim our creative spaces, our ideas generation spaces as exactly THAT. Not as procrastination!
AHAs and takeaways
Fear of what's next: Be comfortable with uncertainty
Thrill seeking / Disconnection with the inner: Be still. Be in the moment.
Perfectionism: Let it sit. Breathe. Do something different. Cogitate to determine a way forward. Embrace imperfect action and 'fail fast'.
Fear of failure: Ask for help. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing badly. Listen to yourself. Ask your body.
Trust yourself.
Frustration, anger (eg avoidance of systems): Sometimes the appropriate response may be righteous resistance, for example when a decreed course of action does not match one's own beliefs. Other suggestions here are to choose the way things are; and to look at what I need to work on next in myself.
Closing message: give compassion to ourselves first!
Perhaps the biggest shared takeaways of all was how important it is to give up beating ourselves up, and instead to come from love, be present, bring compassion to ourselves (now there's a new idea for some of us ;->) and listen to our intuition.
A lunar information source* summed up a key aspect of this particular full moon's wisdom in the following way*:
the easier it is to deal with our fears,
turning them into raw, creative potential."
Invitation to share
Stop by and say hello. AND if you like, when you're ready ..in fact, before you're ready! ...share an AHA you've had, and your intention for the next few weeks.
For me, I can become quite stuck when it comes to expressing myself in writing. My intention is to bring a new lightness and play and more me to my communication, and to write in a shorter timeframe. This was the the first real test. While I'm over the timeline I gave myself, there are ticks on other counts including a sense of easy connecting - and a plan to communicate more in other ways such as video!! I'd love to hear what others are finding!
Next Howlings
Meet and celebrate inspiring women of the Brisbane region. Share tales of challenge, courage, inspiration and humour - ie your fly-me-to-the-moon stories. Bring your women friends and dress as you'd wish for travelling to the moon from our launchpad on the rooftop (Gambaro Room) at Common Ground, South Brisbane, overlooking the iconic Brisbane River and city skyline. (More info)
Registration includes venue hire, event, supper, donation. Wine: BYO or purchase by the glass. All profits go to end homelessness in Brisbane and to support a remote Aboriginal Women's Centre.
Get set up with these full moon dates marked into your diary.
Times are 5.45 pm for 6 pm - 9.30 pm, at an inner Brisbane location.
Subscribe to the newsletter for venue updates.
- Thursday 12 January
- Saturday 11 February
- Monday 13 March
- Tuesday 11 April
Meet and celebrate inspiring women of the Brisbane region. Share tales of challenge, courage, inspiration and humour - ie your fly-me-to-the-moon stories. Bring your women friends and dress as you'd wish for travelling to the moon from our launchpad on the rooftop (Gambaro Room) at Common Ground, South Brisbane, overlooking the iconic Brisbane River and city skyline. (More info)
Acts of Liberation (online) - new group initiative
To find out more and register interest, visit Acts of Liberation.