This is how you can break "do it later" loop

A wise man once told me, "The best time to plant a tree was yesterday. The next best time is now."

The same advice applies to almost everything in life. Isn't it? 

The best time to follow your passion was yesterday but the next best time is now. The best time to start exercising was yesterday but the next best time is now. The best time to start a relationship was yesterday but the next best time is now.

But how often does this "NOW" keeps turning into yesterday and yesterday and one more yesterday! This endless cycle never stops until we break it by force.
 
What are the forces that can break this cycle?
 
There are two kinds of forces that can break this endless loop of "do it later":

1. Wisdom of foreseeing the consequences before it happens

You don't realize that you have messed up after messing up, you know it even when you were taking those actions that will lead to messing up results.

For example, A student who fails exams does not realize it after failing, he knew it when he was wasting his time on playing video games.

An entrepreneur who ends up broke does not realize it after going broke, he knew it when his business model was not running as per expectations.

A man who experienced trouble in his relationship knew its coming when he was not making his relationship as his priority.

It's just that they were hoping to be lucky or they didn't want to think "negatively" or they were really fools.

The moment you build this ability to see oranges in the seed, you are on the path to wisdom. It's really so simple. Wisdom does not need any complexities but just to see things as they are.

If you give orange seeds to a multi-millionaire stock broker from NYSE, he can not tell you these are orange seeds. But if you give this to an illiterate farmer, he can immediately tell you these are orange seeds. You can call him stupid or fool but he won't mind because he knows.   

Similarly, a stockbroker can try his best to convince this farmer that this particular stock is going to be 100 times in valuation in the next 6 months but the farmer won't be convinced. 

Because he can't see it. If you develop this ability to see tomorrow in your today's actions, your life becomes effortless and success becomes yours. 

2. Wounds of the consequences

Unfortunately, most people operate with the second force. They wait for things to go worst, and opportunities to go out of their hands before they take action. Once they have experienced the outcome of their mistakes or wrong actions and this is so unbearable that they can not take it anymore. Now they are inspired to take action because they don't want to face the same situation again. This is a very effective approach but the only problem with this approach is that it comes from the space of fear. 

When people are fearful, they tend to suffer with the outcomes of their actions even when the outcome is exactly or better than their expectations. Because a wounded person is in pain and if you build an empire on this pain, you will only create more pain for the world. 

In Reality, actions taken with wounds are reactions, not actions. 
 
Actions are always taken out of wisdom by foreseeing the outcomes. Such actions are always part of the growth process like planting a sapling, watering the plant, providing the right kind of environment, and so on.  
 
So how often in life do you Act or React?
 
For Example: 
 
Managing your anger is a reaction whereas catching your irritations which will lead to anger is an action. Action is always at the source whereas reaction is always around (just before or after) the outcome. 
 
Reactions bring more fear, panic, & anxiety whereas actions bring more clarity, ease & joy. 
 

What is the solution?

The problem with most of the books, blogs, and self-help videos is that they are too preachy but don't give you real solutions. 

Because you can't just read the advice and start working on yourself and get fine. The only thing that you get is a little better feeling that you know how to come out of it. You have not yet come out or maybe you will never be with this advice but just for a moment, your mind creates this false satisfaction that yes I know how to come out of it. Again that hope comes which tells you, one day I am going to come out of it. 

So please, can we stop this? Can we stop living in an illusion? Because only then we can come to terms with reality. 

The reality is you need to start with something small, very small.

So this is what you can do:

1. Pick any one thing that you know you should do but are not doing it. It can be anything. Let's exercise, you know you are putting on weight and your body is getting weaker, you must start exercising. Or sleeping late in the night or completing that important assignment, it can be anything.

Please don't go to point number two if you don't pick one.

2. If you have selected it, put it in the following format:

If I don't do it:

What will happen tomorrow....

What will happen in 7 days...

What will happen in 30 days...

What will happen in 90 days

What will happen in 365 days...

What will happen on the last day of my life?

I know there are 80% chances you have not picked up anything before coming to point number and there are 95% (I am being very generous with this) chances that you have not filled up the above.

3. If you have filled up, you don't need this. But if you have not, you just think of the worst possible thing that will happen if you don't do this. Can you bear the pain of that?

Can people around you bear the pain of that?

If not then you know how important it is for you and for your loved ones.

If there is no pain, drop it. There is no need to do it for now.

4. Just be aware of this pain in the future every time you procrastinate on taking action. 

Remember this pain is in the future. Don't start feeling it now. At this moment you have a choice, a choice to feel whatever you want to feel. A choice to be whoever you want to be.  

Because it does not really matter how you were at the last moment, the only thing that matters is 

How you are NOW at this moment!
 
At this moment, 

oh not that one, 

this one, 

yes this one, 

this one 

and yes this one too! 

Every moment is presenting you with an opportunity to choose. Probably, that's why it's called Present.
 
What are your choosing?