Hi. My name is Jackie and I’m a master procrastinator. I’m so good at it, I make you think I’m making progress even though I’m standing still. It’s part of my MO. It’s a nasty habit that I’m trying to break – to get out of my own way – so that I’m living my life out loud, not just inside my head. I know you’ve all heard the Marianne Williamson quote that talks about how our greatest fear isn’t that we’re inadequate but rather that we are great beyond measure. That rings so true for me. Even deeper than that is the fear I have that, I’m going to come to the end of my life and realize that I didn’t live the life I was intended simply because I kept getting in my own way. Procrastinating. Hemming and hawing….

Procrastination is a sultry thief. I can’t tell you how many times it’s curled up next to me, bringing me its false warmth, seductively dropping careless whispers in my ear. If I’m not careful, procrastination will convince me that I’m simply resting. That I’m in “planning mode”, researching…analyzing, weighing the pros and cons. I’m not. And I know this. I am in hiding. Generally from the very things I say that I want.

I’ve come to realize that procrastination is a cross-dresser of sorts. It’s FEAR that likes to dress up as something else from time to time. But no matter how fashionably you dress it, it’s still FEAR.

I know that procrastination is a thief and a liar. It will steal your peace of mind, your joy, it will smother your dream if you’re not careful. It will convince you that the peripheral BS that you’re engaged in is enough to be considered serious work on building your dream. It’s not. Not even close. It’s fluff, pure and simple. Procrastination is a cheat – it can and will cheat you of your dreams. In doing so, it also cheats the rest of the world. When you procrastinate, you hold up the line – there are people who waiting for you to play the position you were designed to play so that they can then fall into position. When you hesitate, you hold up the line and you force people to play positions they may not be truly suited for. At the very worst, you forfeit your dream, your gifts and talents.

Procrastination is a “Beautiful liar” – it will convince you that you are not ready, that you need more time, that you need to do more research, that you need more money. It will snuggle up to you and whisper “sweet nothings” in your ear all day and all night. I remind myself that a “sweet” nothing is still NOTHING. Yes, Procrastination will try to convince you that you aren’t qualified.

God doesn’t call the qualified – He qualifies those He calls.

Whose voice are YOU going to trust – God…or a “beautiful liar”?