I Finally Did It…
By: Lebo A Mokhele, Lebo_Bestseller
Tags: Writers Block, Monday Motivation, Newbie, Writer, Procrastination

How I beat procrastination and posted my FIRST Medium article

First things first.

Thank you for reading this article. It will probably be the most honest material you encounter at this moment.

Read through, there’s a revelatory gift that I have for you at the end of this write-up.

A while back, I wish I read a similar article, maybe I would have done this sooner.

Let me introduce myself briefly, then you’ll see why I’m celebrating this milestone.

I’m Lebohang Angelinah Mokhele, but you can call me Lebo.

I’m an author, copywriter, graphic designer and sales coach.

I’ve recently turned 31.

I’ve never been formally employed in my life, despite obtaining a BSc. Degree in Animal Science cum laude as well as being awarded the Best Female Graduate Award by The National University of Lesotho (NUL) in 2012.

I’ve never used that degree, nor do I intent to.

It’s one of those things I did while delaying to follow through my passion.

I love writing and reading… a lot.

It took me pretty long to admit that I wanted to turn my passion into my career and totally abandon the qualification.

While I was still studying, I would make time to read and write fiction and poetry to distress.

But most of my material has been only for my eyes and no one else.

Which is why I took almost forever to publish my first book https://www.amazon.com/He-Royal-Lebohang-Angelinah-Mokhele/dp/0620876158 _ although it’s not my first completed manuscript.

For the past two years I’ve read articles on Medium and I knew deep down that I also wanted to see my own articles on this platform.

But, somehow I had numerous self-limiting beliefs such as:

No one will like what I write.

There’s not much impact I can make. I mean, there are already millions of top writers with great content. What’s the difference can I bring? Certainly not much.

I’m a nobody, who cares if I write or what I write?

The list goes on and on…

While I believed these beliefs for as long as it took, I knew in my heart of hearts that they were just that; self-limiting beliefs.

I know I took almost forever to do this. And the only person I owe an apology right now, is me.

Okay here it goes: “Lebo, I am sorry for taking so long to do this for you.”

“Alright Lebo, I forgive you.”

“Thank You!”

Now let’s dive into the meat of this article.

Have you ever had that one task on your to-do list that you keep on postponing?

It doesn’t matter how big or how small it is, but that one annoying (because it keeps hanging over your head) thing that when you think about doing it, that’s all you ever do.

Think about it and do nothing more.

For me it’s not one.

The list is never ending.

So is the guilt.

I have read almost every post I’ve come across that’s on procrastination. And nodded along the written lines as I skimmed through the articles.

Excited that I’m not the only one feeling this way;

OMG! I thought I was the only one battling with this.

Suddenly, a sigh of relief forces itself out.

Relieved that this one task that’s invading me like some sort of uninvited legion of demons isn’t just haunting me.

There’s plenty of us battling with procrastination.

If there are over 53 million searches and over 9 thousand books directly addressing procrastination, it must be worse than any deadly global pandemic.

Truth be told; no book and no article that will be written will help you defeat this monster.

It’s time we accept that we learn to live with it and make peace with it.

Sounds crazy right?

That’s because it’s not some advice to you.

Who am I kidding?

I’m in no position to help you get out of procrastination jail.

If I ever had any free Get-Out-Of-Jail-Cards, I probably would have waited until they expired before considering using them to rescue myself.

That’s the whole point I’m trying to make here.

Only you can rescue yourself from this monster.

You can have all the know-how but until you apply it, as timely as possible, that knowledge is static and basically useless.

You may have heard or read what Tony Robbins says; that knowledge is not power, but only potential power. Action is power!

It’s true!

While I read and still continue to consume any material that’s against procrastination, at the end of the day, the action I take is solely dependent on me.

Until I apply the knowledge I have, I don’t have any power.

I now know that I live on borrowed time, and it’s up to me to use it wisely as time is the most limited resource.

While my work (which includes articles in previous high school magazines, a church newspaper I confounded, movie trailer and short films I scripted and co-directed as well as books etc.) that has been published in any format has seen any light of day, there is more material that I’m still very hesitant to send out to the public.

There were times that I battled even to share my work in order to get feedback from trusted sources.

Long dreadful times.

Who am I kidding?

I still get those silly moments.

There are days still where I hit the snooze button when my workout alarm goes off. Sometimes I skip it altogether, although it’s on my schedule.

Yet I know how great I feel not just afterwards, but during the workout and while I prepare for it.

And suddenly I feel on top of the world and vow to never deprive myself of such pleasures.

The only thing that weighs more than procrastination itself, it’s the perceived sense of fulfillment once you complete your set mission.

I’ve made it a habit to celebrate the small wins because I know they lead to the BIG WIN!

Here is my gift to you.

I have not beaten procrastination; I make a daily choice to do things that I know will bring joy of fulfillment and accomplishment.

Ask me, I know.

While this post may get just a few clicks, I must tell you what a huge victory it is for me to finally put it out here.

And I can’t wait for the subsequent articles that I’m yet to post every Monday.

Yes, I chose the day that used to be the hardest for me to do anything to show this monster who the boss is.

Now, go on… Clap for me and leave a comment about how you handle procrastination.

On my next post, I will reveal the high income skill I learned from a fiction book character. After this, you’ll read books and watch movies differently.

See you next Monday :)