Published in the Idaho State Journal on Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wow, it feels good to slay dragons. Not real dragons; those of mythology and legend. But emotional, spiritual dragons—the snarling fears and insecurities that get built up over time, preventing us from doing the next brave thing.
Mythologically and psychologically speaking, dragons can be said to represent our own fear and self-esteem issues. Our sense of self, or ego, can be terribly fragile, as much as we try and trick ourselves and the world into thinking otherwise. Putting that ego in harm's way, say by making a professional contact, standing up for ourselves, or taking any other risk that is required to be fully alive can feel like a suicide mission.
It seems this breed of dragon can easily be disguised as “procrastination.” I don't tend to avoid doing things I'm comfortable with or enjoy. There's always ample time for and I'm always quite efficient at doing the fun, easy things that don't challenge me in any way. It's the harder, riskier, possibly more painful actions that I can conceivably put off forever.
Our bodies will often let us know if we're procrastinating on an issue that is really, really important to address directly, and yesterday. The mind-body-spirit connection suggests that if we're not taking care of our spiritual and emotional needs, our body will bear the consequences. Migraines. Stomach aches. High blood pressure. Sleeplessness. For me, it's pain around the shoulder blades and up my neck.
It's like my body is telling me my dragon-slaying muscles are out of shape, and it's time to pick up that big, heavy sword and start swinging it around. Because some negative aspect of myself has blocked the way along my life's path long enough, and it's time to confront the fear of being burned to a crisp or shred to ribbons and get moving already.
What are those fears that keep us frozen in place? Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of disappointment, fear of humiliation or embarrassment, fear of incompetency, fear of rejection and mockery, fear of abandonment, fear of physical injury, or all of the above. Wrapped up in little to-do items such as calling the gym about that membership, following up on that job application, or having that brief confrontation. I find sometimes it's those little things, that often take no longer than 10 minutes, that slow me down the most.
Regardless of the outcome of any of these little things we procrastinate on, it's a dragon-slaying in and of itself simply to cross things off your list. Procrastination build-up can eventually take it's toll, and examining what is really causing the hold-ups may ultimately help you take action. Many of these victories over procrastination might do nothing more than clear the path until you come across the next gang of dragons, but at least you're moving forward.
The biggest, scariest dragons guard caves full of treasure. The glow of that treasure can be so blinding, we may not even be able to see it clearly—especially with a fire-breathing, vicious beast in the way. For us, that treasure could be a new rewarding job, a new sense of independence, a new home, better health, or anything else bright and shiny that we've wanted our whole lives. None of these happy endings arrive all at once. We get to them one tiny step, one short action item at a time, as long as we don't allow procrastination to get in the way. Onward!
BIO: Nancy Goodman is a licensed counselor with an emphasis on life and career coaching. For questions or to schedule a free consultation, please contact Nancy at 208-478-1414 or goodnanc@yahoo.com.
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