This may seem like a silly question because if someone does not know how to do a job it should be easy to correct it my asking someone else for information.  Shouldn’t it?  Perhaps. This is our 4th and final in the series to help Paula and she will have to confirm if this is what has been holding her back in launching her online business.

Does the idea seem far-fetched that a sharp, savvy and successful (offline) businesswoman would allow her lack of knowledge in a particular area to cause her to procrastinate?  For someone who is successful in other areas the idea that they are not able to master everything perfectly could become a motivational block.  Pride for one could prevent her from recognizing that she needs help, or even worse to admit to herself that she needs help.  Subconsciously this results in avoidance or even developing an aversion for the task.

Having been on the internet for about 18 months I can relate, to some extent how Paula may be feeling.  When you are knowledgeable and successful in offline activities, it can be like walking through a maze when you step into the online world. For me there was so much to learn and I actually felt frustrated and ineffective when I signed up for courses that were perhaps too advanced at the time.  During one of these early courses the trainer would talk about ’simple’ things to do that I had no idea what was being referred to.  I can recall the first time I heard that I needed to ‘upload a document with an FTP client’. What language was the trainer speaking?  It got better as I took  steps to learn new things and attend classes for the basics.

Could a lack of knowledge be what has stopped Paula from completing her important task?  If this is the case, we will encourage her to take inventory of what she already knows on the subject then gather as much information as she can on the topic from the Internet.  If she has done that, or if that is not enough, we will help her to find a Mentor who offers the training which will allow her to move forward in her online business.  We might even encourage her to visit forums in her niche as many forums provide tremendous amounts of information for beginners and advanced.

What is holding you back from taking leaps in your business?  Do you procrastinate because of  fear of success, fear of failure, or fear of completion?  Is it because you fail to assign the necessary priority?  Is it lack of commitment, or is it a lack of knowledge?  Only you can decide.  But to succeed you have to identify the reasons for procrastination, confront those fears and examine your attitude. You also need to evaluate the consequences if you give in or the benefits if you overcome these blocks.

We are on our third article to try to assist Paula in determining why she has allowed procrastination in  one important task to stall the launch of her online business.  We were first introduced to Paula when we considered that her fears may be holding her back.  She admitted that while she had some fears they were not strong enough to paralyze her so we suggested that she may not be assigning the task the high priority it deserved.  Today we consider the possibility that Paula could be procrastinating due to a lack of commitment to her online business.

Paula’s record of success offline is well-recognized and is evidenced by the fact that she sometimes has appointments booked up to two months in advance with her clients.  Does Paula really want to start an online business or is she just following a trend?  An online business is a business like any other and must be treated as such for it to be successful.  It demands time, energy, and money.  While an online business may be started with a small budget, a budget is still required to take care of basic start-up costs as well as monthly costs, regardless of how minimal.

To be committed to any activity, including an online business, you must be committed to the start, the middle and the end results – be prepared to see it through.  No coercion or even logic will give you the drive to do this; the motivation has to come from within.  Self-motivation will lead to commitment and commitment will allow you to view obstacles as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks.  We will propose this idea of lack of commitment or possibly fear of commitment to Paula with the view of helping her determine if she is truly motivated to make a success of her online business.

There is one last possibility we will consider in my next article.  This is perhaps one we should have discussed with Paula earlier, but it’s not too late.

Today we continue to help Paula, a savvy, sharp businesswoman who has had a successful business offline for many years, determine why she has not completed a very important task necessary to launch her online business. We shared the points regarding fear of success, failure and completion with her and while she acknowledged she had some fears, she did not feel they were enough to paralyze her.

Could it be that even though Paula knows this activity needs to be done she has not wrapped her mind around that it needs to be given high priority?  The fact that it is on her “Most Important Things to Do” list means that it is important and in talking with Paula she recognizes that someone has to do it.  She also realizes that it is not something that should be assigned to someone else; it’s something that she needs to do.  But what has happened everyday so far?  She has found something else to do in that time slot, which means that she has procrastinated each day and given something else priority.

If failure to set a high enough priority on the task is causing Paula to procrastinate, perhaps she could benefit from the following suggestions:

• Use positive affirmations, such as, “I am a competent, successful businesswoman who is capable of reaching my goals by setting priorities in my online business.”
• Use positive statements with a positive outcome. For example, “If I complete this task today I will be one steps closer to the goal of launching my online business,” NOT “If I don’t do this task, I’ll never launch my online business.”
• Reflect on the benefits of taking action now and future results.  It will be one more item that you can cross off your list and that will give you a feeling of accomplishment.

If Paula’s procrastination is due to not setting priorities in her online business, what other recommendations or suggestions would you make to her?  Please share your thoughts in the “Comments” field.

I invite you to join me as we explore Paula’s world.  Paula is a 40 something, sharp, savvy entrepreneur who’s managed a successful offline business for several years and has decided to start an online business.  She’s recently discovered that she has become familiar with someone who was a stranger to her before.  She’s not happy with this relationship and knows that she needs to correct the situation urgently, but before she can do so she has to identify why she has admitted this stranger into her life.  The stranger is procrastination.

Paula has dutifully worked on her “To Do” list on Sunday evening and listed the 6-10 most important things she needs to do for her business during the week.  Each evening she selects her three most important items for the next day but on Friday when she goes over her list she realizes that one task has been carried forward every day and still has not been completed.  It needs to be done but she has been putting it off.  Does she even know why?

Is fear causing Paula to procrastinate?  If so, fear of what?  Here are 3 of the basic fears that generally lead to procrastination:

1.  Fear of Success:  This may seem to be a paradox because normally everyone wants to succeed.  Paul has been successful in her offline business.  Could she be afraid that if she is succeeds in her online business it’s going to take her out of her comfort zone, and more will be required of her to maintain the level of success?

2.  Fear of Failure:  Paula could also be thinking, “What if I do not do well?  What if I lose my reputation as a successful entrepreneur because my online business is not a success?  What if I am not able to attract subscribers to grow my list?”  and the list of negatives multiply.

3.  Fear of Completion:  Paula knows that if she completes that one task she will need to move on to some other aspect of her online business.  By putting it off she is stuck at a certain point before she can move ahead.

Fear in any form can be crippling to you as an individual, to your personal life, and your business.  In order to deal with it, you must identify the fear and its source so that you can view the consequences of giving in, or overcoming the fear objectively. Do not allow fear to cause you to procrastinate!  Set goals with a deadline on how you will deal with your fears so that you can move ahead.

What suggestions do you have for Paula if fears are what’s causing her to procrastinate?  Please click on ‘comments’ and share your thoughts.