Why You Need to Stop Procrastinating and Start Prioritising

Don't worry, this isn't some dubious blog post where I'm going to tell you that you can be anything you want to be if you just work hard enough. If it sounds too good to be true, then more than likely it is, so don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise.

There are certainly legitimate reasons why some people literally cannot accomplish certain dreams that they have; not everyone is going to be a premiership footballer or an astronaut. It doesn't matter how hard you work, it is simply not possible for everyone to do or have everything they want in life.

Stop Wasting Opportunities

Certainly, not everyone starts life with the same life opportunities and not everyone is physically or mentally capable of doing certain things. On the other hand, though, there are many of us wasting opportunities with the lies that we tell ourselves.

In the Western world, there are millions of people with better opportunities than the rest of humanity has had throughout human history. In many ways, there has never been a better period of time to be alive!


There are countless examples of people that have been able to overcome all kinds of adversity throughout their lives to achieve what they wanted and lead the lives that they dreamed of. Here are just a couple of examples of amazing individuals who have overcome significant barriers to lead incredible lives.

Erik Weihenmayer:

Erik is a blind adventurer who has climbed Mount Everest and kayaked the Grand Canyon! By the age of 13, Erik was robbed of his sight by a degenerative disease called Retinoschisis. He refused to allow blindness to sweep his life to the side-lines though and set out to lead an extraordinary life.

During his teenage years, he became passionate about rock-climbing after discovering a natural ability at it. Later on, he graduated with a double major at Boston College and became a middle-school teacher and wrestling coach at Phoenix Country Day School. After climbing the highest point in North America though, his true life vision began to take shape.

He decided to start a movement called No Barriers in which to inspire all of us to face and overcome life's challenges. The motto is "what's within you is stronger than what's in your way."


Nick Vujicic:

Nick is a man from Australia who was born without fully formed legs and without arms completely due to a disease called phocomelia. At the beginning of his life, his mother refused to even see or hold him, but over time his mother and father accepted their son for who he was.

With the use of his two, small deformed feet, Nick was able to use his toes like fingers to turn pages of a book, operate a wheelchair, computer, mobile phone and other functions. Despite severe bullying at school, Nick was able to thrive in his teenage and early adult years and graduated from university with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

He has since dedicated his life to helping people, particularly children to overcome life's many adversities, such as bullying which unfortunately seems to affect increasing numbers of people. He now travels the world as a motivational speaker and has written several books which are all linked to his non-profit organisation: Life Without Limbs.


Once again I'm not suggesting you follow dreams that are physically impossible. Nick could not have become a world-class football player for example, even if he had dreamt to be one. He and Erik though are perfect examples of people who have set out to lead incredible lives.

Even better, they have also dedicated their time and energy to helping others to live the best lives they can lead. As Erik suggests with his Breaking Barriers organisation, the idea is not to say that everyone has to go and climb Everest or kayak down the Grand Canyon. It is about achieving even small goals that you have set yourself such as living a healthier life.

Excuses, Excuses

For many of us, it is so easy to continually think about what we want out of life and imagine how it could be better. Because everyone is unique there is a huge range of hopes and desires that people have for how their lives could be improved.

Some of these are material such as a new car or a bigger house. For other people, they would really love to see a spiritual or emotional change in their life like a more fulfilling relationship, better friendships or a closer relationship with their family.

Many think or talk about a better career that is more in line with what they are really passionate about, or that offers a better salary, or often both. Some people have always dreamt of travelling and spend their spare time searching on social media for all the amazing places they could travel to in the world if only they had the time or the money. There are those that want to take better photos, or to start a YouTube vlog or even get going on that blog that they know will be amazing if only they weren't always busy.

You Are Stopping You

The excuses are often the same: I don't have time, I don't have the skill, I don't have the money. We've all heard these and probably even thought them at some point in time. Most though, that's all they are, excuses rather than reality.

What is really stopping you is you. That's the harsh truth, but deep down you probably already knew that. If you really want to do something then you can and will put your mind to it and do it.

Time to Make the Change

In life, you can only rely on others so much and eventually you are going to have start taking responsibility for what you want out of life. If you want to start that YouTube video series then there is not much that you need. If you are reading this blog post then you probably already have the tools. In fact, you can record, edit and upload a video onto YouTube all from a basic smartphone.

If you want to start a blog, then you can for free. You just need a basic computer and access to the Internet. You don't even need to buy a computer you could use a computer at your local library for free.

The Internet has opened up a wealth of opportunities, much of which is completely free. You can learn how to cook, learn a new language, do university courses, edit and upload photos and videos, start a blog. These are all tools that are available to millions of people which a couple of decades ago would have seemed impossible.

This isn't just about the Internet though, there are simple changes that you can make in your life to make big improvements. If you want to become fitter then start walking more, join a local gym (some for as little as £10/ month) or even do some basic exercises at home such as sit-ups and press-ups. Start eating healthier foods like less processed rubbish and more fruit and vegetables. One thing I would definitely recommend is becoming vegan, but that's totally up to you.

Stop Thinking, Start Doing. Take Action!

If you really want to achieve something such as a healthier body, better relationships with family and friends, a more fulfilling job, more travel or anything else you can think of (well maybe not heading to Mars), then you need a plan of action. What you need to realise though, is that you probably do have time you just need to readjust your priorities.


One of THE biggest time wasters, in my opinion, is TV. It literally sucks the life away from people. Millions of people get home from a day at the office where they have been sat in front of a screen, then slump in front of the TV for the next three to four hours. Just think of how much time that adds up to each week, month and year and what better uses you could be putting all that time to.

When you think about it you really do have time. You have time to contact your family and friends, time to start a course, time to write that blog post, time to go for a run and time to look for that dream job. It can be tough but what you need to do is take action and stop being stupefied by TV (and other complete mind-numbing activities like scrolling through Facebook, celebrity magazines or excessive shopping.

While you can't be anything you want to be in life, you can certainly take positive and immediate action to create a significant and lasting change to how you live. You will become more fulfilled, inspired and motivated. Rather than the vicious cycle that many find themselves in you can create a positive cycle for you and those around you. There's no time like the present!



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