Two weeks ago, I gave a presentation to the faculty of MD Anderson Cancer Center. About 100 faculty members were in attendance. Below are a few of the highlights of the presentation.
The source or a great deal of suffering in life is found in these two concepts; procrastination and perfectionism. If you put things off and spend time in avoidance, you are escalating your suffering. Of course, you may feel the glory of waiting to the last minute and then have a last minute rally and get a euphoric boost of crossing the finish line. On one hand, you end up celebrating getting something done, but on the other hand, you have just reinforced your procrastination cycle.
The final blow is perfectionism. If you need everything perfect, it is hard to even get started on a project. Perfectionists never know when something is “good enough.” So, what do you do?
Just get started. Break things down into workable components and eventually, you will get more done and release yourself from suffering and guilt. Then, spend time validating your efforts to psychologically reward yourself. So, go get started right now! Value your work and do your best. Dr. Mike
