By LAURA LEONARD
Doctor of Chiropractic
Los Alamos
I’m a firm believer that we live on a continuum of behaviors, functional to dysfunctional. We excel in certain areas, are average in others and have some that need work. The problem lies in our willingness to be aware of the ‘needs work’ areas so we can better ourselves. We are trained from a young age to focus on our strengths but in reality, it’s our weaknesses that have the best value for improving us.
Overcoming our weaknesses by working on them creates a sense of self-worth like none other. Procrastination is simply the art of avoiding struggle and a fear of looking inside. Perfectionism, people-pleasing and fear of failure are almost always at the root of procrastination. Avoiding difficult ‘to do’s’ in favor of something more entertaining, rewarding and interesting is part of our core survival instinct. Run away from painful or mundane towards the stuff that feels good. Only focus on this stuff if your life depends on it. Sound familiar?
How then can we get around this conundrum? Self-awareness and a willingness to value working on our weaknesses is the key. A big eye opener for me personally was the concept of ‘toxic productivity’. I really value having a clean house, or so I thought, until I discovered what toxic productivity was. I had convinced myself that I was being super productive by keeping things clean and then I realized that I was actually cleaning to the point of avoiding other more important things.
The biggest clue was that my closets and drawers are messy and disorganized. Cleaning equals instant gratification and external validation, organizing stuff hidden by drawers and doors, not so much. The take home here, is that even worthwhile pursuits can still equate to toxic productivity if important tasks are being avoided. The rule of thumb in order is daily task prioritizing, completion and then instant gratification.
Be open to exploring why you avoid certain things and learn to embrace the necessity of doing boring and sometimes painful tasks. Get comfortable with avoiding instant gratification in return for completing tasks that provide long-term success. Doesn’t sound like much fun at all but remember you can always reward yourself with something you enjoy once your priorities for the day are completed.
Dr. Leonard’s practice focuses on posture and performance using a combination of soft tissue release, adjustments & exercise recommendations. She also coaches patients on nutrition, self-care & body awareness to manage themselves in between visits. LA Chiropractic Center is at 557 Oppenheimer Dr. Suite 100.
