Chapter One

All You Really Need Is Willingness

Giving up a long held belief or lifestyle, even one that works against you, isn’t easy. Beating up on yourself doesn’t help, nor does trying to hurry the process along. Like a cigarette smoker who only wants to stop smoking—but never gives stopping an honest try, wishing alone doesn’t help, because wishing is not a strategy. What does help is learning to do things differently, and then giving those new ways a real chance by trying them out. In short, it’s all in the “do”-ing.

Change is possible. As you will see later, the key ingredient that you’ll need to provide is willingness. Change takes place slowly and over a long time. It’s essential that you give yourself patience in order to continue growing into the person you want to become. You’ll also need to treat yourself to love and understanding. As a friend pointed out to me, “Ask yourself this question. What would do if you loved yourself?”

If you are a habitual procrastinator, the “spell” that you’ve seemingly been living under can be cast aside and believe it or not, the power is in your own hands. As the second half of this book reveals, becoming a “do”-er is a lot more than merely possible. You’ll learn practical ways that will teach you how to deal with many of the tasks you find unpleasant or beyond your present ability to cope with. All it will require on your part is the willingness to practice some new ways of “do”-ing.