Sabotage

With the technology available at our fingertips, we have the opportunity and the ability to produce great work. With this technology, we also have the ability to waste our time doing anything other than work. Why do so many people sabotage the work they are doing by wasting time doing so many other things?

I think there are two main reasons for this sabotage-
1) We're afraid to do the work
2) We're bored with the work

There are a variety of reasons why we are afraid to do the work. We are afraid to fail. This fear was instilled at an early age and is reinforced throughout life. Fail and failure have become very negative terms in our society. No one wants to be labeled a failure. Until we can convince ourselves failing is a part of living and is to be expected, we will never be able to move beyond this fear.

We may be afraid at succeeding. This sounds ridiculous, but this fear stems from the fear of change. If we succeed, how will our life be different? How much more work will we have to do? We don't talk about fear of success very often, but it is a real fear.

Until we can overcome these fears, they will still continue to sabotage our work. We have to acknowledge the fear and then stop listening. Fear has a way of over-exagerating everything that could happen. When we fail, which will happen from time to time, the outcome is never as bad as we imagined it would be. When we are afraid of success and still push through to succeed, we will see there was really nothing to be afraid of. We will always have doubts and fears yearning to hold us back, but we have to stop listening to them and do the work.

When we are bored with the work, it is very easy to fall down the rabbit hole of time wasting. We can convince ourselves what we are doing is work, is leaning, is growing, but we are really just wasting time. With our technology, we can waste time on Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr and reading blogs, but even if you disguise this as networking or gaining knowledge, all you are really doing is wasting time. We have to be interested in the work to really focus on it and do the best we can. If you can't figure out a way to become invested, it is time to move on and find new work to do. There has to be passion and drive to do great work, otherwise get out of the way and let someone who has them do it.

Stop letting your fear and boredom sabotage your work. Take a long look at what you are doing and why you are still wasting time. Don't make it easy to waste time...turn off Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr and e-mail. Focus on the work at hand and get it done. There is time for all of the other things later, when you are not in work mode. With the technology at hand, utilize it to do better work, not for wasting time. We all have the ability to do great work, not in the same areas, but in whatever realm drives us. Start today. Accomplish something you have been putting off and don't let the pull of time-wasting draw you in. Turn off the distractions and focus. You will be surprised at what you can do when you stop listening to your fear and boredom and actually get to work.