Hi, I’m Shawn Maguire. Welcome to the New Vision counseling.live podcast, episode number 30 to a place where we help you to discover what better looks like for you and then be equipped with the tools to create it. Now, guys, I hope you’re having a great morning or afternoon or even evening whenever you’re listening to this because I’m going to jump into something that is really, really impactful if, if, if, if you implement these strategies into your life now, I’m not sure where you live. I live in Edmond and I work in Edmond and Oklahoma City as a marriage counselor, as someone who leads a team of an amazing Christian marriage counseling Oklahoma City counselors and really people to change others lives. That’s the vision that we have in division counseling, whether it’s trauma, marriage counseling, premarital counseling, and one of the areas we run up against a lot in helping people to make progress and what stops them is this beast called procrastination.
And in podcast number 31 I went over the first part of the secret to overcoming procrastination in six steps. Today, I’m going to be going over part two of the secret to overcoming procrastination and I really want you to see that you’re not alone. If you struggle with procrastination. There are so many people that we serve through Christian marriage counseling Oklahoma City that’s come in and they have all these great goals. They have maybe even started a book. They’ve started reading their Bible at the beginning of the year. They had a great service at Church or went to some seminar and began working on their marriage for a week to a month, and then they just fell off and life started to happen. They began procrastinating the habits that started creating success in their life, and I know you’re human being that at some level you can relate to these stories. I know that one of the areas in my life is I don’t necessarily struggle with procrastination as much as having decisions to make every day about what is most important because I say my family is most important.
I say God is most important, but if I don’t schedule time for both of them in my day on a daily basis, the urgencies, the emergencies, the crisis that other people have will dominate my schedule. You know, I live every day leaving work, leaving my place where I do Christian marriage counseling Oklahoma City and help people through anxiety and stress and really create and helped them create businesses. I leave every day with opportunities to change lives on my desk, in my day timer, in my calendar with other counselors asking questions of how we can do this or this might improve our way of serving others every day. This is what happens and if I don’t funnel my priorities into my schedule first at the beginning of every day, and then really the opposite of the week, Sunday, either Sunday night or Monday morning when I structure my week, then all the urgencies are going to take over. So whether you fall into the category of you’re somebody like me where you just have so many different areas drawing away from your time or maybe you fall, the more the area of true procrastination of where you just keep putting things off because they’re difficult because they’re hard because they’re uncomfortable because they cost you something.
This will help you and know that you’re not alone. So love walking through this with you guys. I really hope that you find value in these podcasts. If you do share it with other people. These are not just meant to serve you. They’re meant to serve you first and then whatever you, God speaks to you through these podcasts in a way that’s helpful. Please share this with others because you know that’s the mission that division counseling is helping you discover what better looks like for you. Cooking with the tools to create it, and then when we don’t talk about a lot, unless you come see us, is be the voice to other people of transformation. Share your story with him. That’s all. We love Google reviews when our clients and people that we serve through podcasts and other areas through speaking deal review us on Google because then other people can see that change is not just possible for a select few, but for so many if they’re willing to take someone else’s hand and start changing today.
So we went over the first three. I’ll briefly go over them to overcoming, overcoming procrastination. The first one is brainstorm. Do not judge when you brainstorm. Just go have a great time where their coffee shop a restaurant by yourself at first or maybe with a friend at first. Whatever you need, just start this. This is a no judgment, no expectations. Experience where it’s supposed to be fun. I shared about me brainstorming with my, with my daughter over creating infinity land, which is our version of an of Disneyland except for with superheroes. We’ve got captain America’s candy corn. We have hulk smash Burgers, we have iron may, iron man’s flight, and we just have all these cool rides. So brainstorm, have fun with it. Bring us something to write on. The second key was selected goals. This is where you take your brainstorm and you begin to call and to curate what you most want to start working on.
Now. Started in defining the goals of what the vision is that maybe you’re going to have in this season and then set some real specific goals of what you want to see happen, except that we likely overestimate what we can accomplish in a week or a month and we grossly underestimate what we can accomplish in a year to five years to a lifetime. Third is identify your why. I shared a really interesting statistic of a research study that I either heard or listened to and read and it sets your why a 70,000 times more powerful than the what is the purpose behind the why and I’m not sure 70,000 I think that’s super high, but I’d say maybe seven times more powerful, which is still a lot in three ways. I talked about the why of how you can wire it in is through emotion, spiritual, and significance. Find out those three areas.
This is why so many people, they don’t even get off the ground. These are your first three keys to jumping and moving forward and none of them are hard expectations. Now, the fourth one, the new information today that I’m going to be jumping into is you can tell, I like to jump a lot, right? Active is attached specifics to your goals. Now the first three are just inviting you in. You’re starting to get momentum, making progress. You have some things going on in your life that feel right, feel good, and you may be unsure of exactly where their lead, but so far it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a lot of areas of dreaming, of thinking, putting some goals with them, discovering your why and you’re doing great. You’re doing great. God moves through your action of momentum. When you start to move, it’s just like a train.
The more the longer you move, the more your momentum will build strength in Steen till eventually you’ll be able to go through walls without stopping, so it doesn’t mean you won’t feel him. I think a lot of people get confused. You’ll feel the wall when you go through it. You will absolutely feel the wall, the differences. When you’re a movie, you can either jump over the wall or you can smash through the wall, but if you’re stopped, it’s going to be really hard to jump or go through anything. So don’t let adversity stop you in this process of transforming your life tax specific goals to moving forward and overcoming procrastination. And that looks like this. You’re talking about writing a book, writing a book. It’s one of the dreams that I have. I’ve started a lot of books, but what happened? Life happened and I didn’t finish, but it’s on my cue to either start at the end of this year or the beginning of next.
My friend was Copeland. He’s like, Sean, you’re so much more than a marriage counselor. You needed to go beyond Edmond, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and you need to go give these opportunities to the world to change, which is part of my going forward and podcasts. So I have to take what he says as one of my main encouragers in life outside of my family. And I have to funnel it through out of what are you calling me to in this season. And part of that is as podcasts, growing a team, really growing a Christian marriage counseling Oklahoma City team of people that love the people we serve, but also are exceptionally skilled at the technique to techniques and the foundations of counseling and the Bible. So these are where I’m focused on and I’ve attached specifics to my book will start later, but maybe for you, your book starts now.
So what can you do for that? Well, if you’re running a book, have either good online like a you demi and find out type in book writing and every day it’ll send, you can go on there for five minutes and you can watch a video. It’s like two to five minutes or typical timeframes for a lot of the videos that they send on their classes. Cause you, demi is an online platform to learn and you can read or learn everyday about five minutes and maybe there’s some actionable items they’ll give you. Well, that’s one way to do it. Another way is to write. Set a time in the morning or at night or maybe a day week and write, write, write, write, write, write. Maybe write one sentence. Maybe you write one word just to get started. Carry a notebook around with you that is just for writing.
That’s one way. Maybe yours is you want to lose weight. Well Man, join a gym, joining a gym as either a waste of money or it’s accountability. One of the two typically happens in most people fall somewhere in the middle. They’re wanting a gym, learning about food and eating and eating choices. Restaurants that you can eat at that have options like Panera or if you’re a Christian, you know, I think we Christians, we threw placebo effect. We make Chick-Filet all good for us. I know it’s not all good, but there’s something in the mind that we can somehow navigate and manipulate chick fillet to be good. So attach specifics. You know, one of mine that I live with most days is be a better, become my best, the best dad that I can be, no occupying to use a dad, not comparing to the person, anybody else’s mind as a dad, but comparing to the, the person that God has called me to be as a dad.
I remember one time I was just, you know, talking to my wife about how I felt like I could do so much better as a dad. And she said, honey, who are you comparing yourself to? And the reality was I was comparing myself to Jesus Christ. And so don’t go that far, but you know, so for me to be a better dad, I look at my schedule and I say, when can I spend time one on one with the kids? And this may be throwing the ball with my son, going to breakfast with my daughter and then every month or so when can I take them on a date, something where we could go out and do something where we just connect my son. It’s usually some kind of an adventure. My daughter. It often includes food, which is skinny as she is, is one of her love languages.
We share that together, so we’ll find a ways that you can attach specifics to that. If you are going to lose weight, you want to lose 20 pounds. If you’re going to similar write a book, I’m going to write a chapter a week or a chapter a month. I’m going to finish the book and 12 months tax the specifics to it. Better Dad, I’m going to spend time every week and put it in my schedule. Then I’m going to have a devotion with my kids one on one. I’m going to take them either outside for a walk or do something one-on-one. Specifics. Five is attach accountability. This is huge. Huge. It’s what it is so huge. This is where a lot of people fall off the wagon, but it required because it requires getting somebody else involved into your story. Attaching accountability is super powerful and be, you know, I know maybe for Oklahoma City and Eben Nights, people in Edmond, we’re, we serve the community.
I think this is easier for us because we’re such a bible belt. Oklahoma grown people connect to people. It seems like a lot more effectively around here than in other places that I’ve been, like Florida or New Jersey because people are so connected at some level to real people and not just devices. So I find that to be helpful. A real person, attach them to each goal. So if you’re gonna write a book, tell them your goals of what you’re going to move towards. You’re going to write a chapter a month, you’re going to lose 20 pounds in three months, and you’re going to tell them you’re going to go to the gym three times a week and you’re going to work out at home the other two, and you have a specific video that you’re going to watch. And this could look like you texting, then texting you, you texting them every day.
Hey, I hit my goal. Hey, I hit my goal. Another one is put it on the calendar. If you don’t put your goals on the calendar, it’s going to be really you to be really hard pressed to find yourself succeeding in that. Put a reminder in the calendar to evaluate where you’re at. You can do this every week. You can do this every month, but evaluate where you’re at. I do this probably every three months or so. Evaluate where I’m at and I find that to be really helpful in the process of change, in accomplishing goals, and you know, you say, Sean, you’re talking a lot about goals but not procrastination. Great Point. The reason is because most of us, we move forward better when we’re moving towards a goal and not away from a negative so that we have to be aware of the negative there, but I’m encouraging you to step into this inspiration that I’m giving you.
Step into the inspiration that God has for you to become the best version of you possible. The last step is actionable steps in your schedule. What do you mean? Okay, so if you want to write a book, you have to create margin. There’s not another option. You are curious will create margin. If you don’t create margin than you’re not going to do your goals, you’re not going to accomplish them. So for me, part of that was it took me about six months. I know it’s a long time to reduce my schedule enough and I, and it’s something that have to say constantly diligent on, it’s not like my desire to help people overcome my desire to accomplish the way God has for me in this season of my colon, which is grow the practice and the people to serve more. And then you get online, do podcasts and really expand the vision of what we’ve doing doing in Oklahoma City has marriage Christian marriage counseling Oklahoma City counselors and Edmond to Tulsa, to Norman to other places as well.
So these are in my schedule. I have a coaching call every wall. It was every Monday. Now it’s every Wednesday. I have a meeting with some of my top tier, some of my top team leaders that are helping me grow, which is everybody is, but there’s two specifically on Wednesdays or Mondays at 1230 I have a time to meet with my wife. I’m we’re financing. So all of these are things that I’ve included in my schedule. And then the other one is create the margin. Second, secure resources. These are actionable steps, secure resources. So if you’re writing a book, you might need to get an online course. You may need to ask for funding. If you want to get a ghost writer, you may need to find somebody to do that for you. If you’re going to start a business, you may go get a small business loan.
You may go to s, you may look around and find other people that believe in it. You may do a Kickstarter, you may just whatever area you’re in. You know, like when I coach people to start businesses, it’s look at the people around you that support you the most. Look for a look for a financial backer that you may need now. You may need later two to three people that will commit to saying, hey, I’ll be a part of this because I believe in you. I believe in what you’re doing. Whatever it may be, a gym membership, that’s a resource. That’s an accountability. Pay Him. Pay a year in advance. That will give you motivation, especially if you’re like me and you hate wasting money. So these are the six. Brainstorm select goals, identify your why, attached specifics to your goals, attach accountability to these goals, and then take actionable steps and your scheduled scare resources and create margin in your life.
These have really profoundly impacted my life and the people that we serve tremendously, especially business leaders or people that want to do more than just go to a nine to five job working for the man. If that’s you, if you want to do more than just to go home and watch TV or social media with your family if you’re depressed, these are all geared towards helping you overcome the procrastination of making a better life for yourself and your family today. And if you found this helpful, I talked about the Google reviews. Have a lot of people in Edmond, Oklahoma City know about us because of those. Please go on and rate New Vision counseling, not live. It will really help get the word out at this podcast has benefited you. I feel like we get to know each other through this podcast. Even if we never meet in person.
I feel like I know James Dobson, Dennis Rainey, ed, my Jimmy Evans. I feel like I know my outside swinging as well. Listen to Steven. Uh,Christian marriage counseling Oklahoma City is Tony Robbins sometimes and you know Steven Furtick spend great. Craig Rochelle is leadership stuff, top notch. A lot of these people, I feel like I know them because their teachings have really informed and influenced my life. So just encourage you. Don’t wait on activating in this area. And if you say, Shawn, this is great, but I really would like you or somebody else in your team to walk with me or I have a friend that I would like you guys to walk with. Well, the great news is reach out to us today through our website and Christian marriage counseling Oklahoma City live. We are a place where we help you discover what better looks like for you, and then we equip you with the tools to create it.
We don’t just sit on the couch and watch you struggle. We jump into your story with you, helping you navigate the waters of life, not just to survive, but to thrive in your daily experiences. So hope this is amazingly helpful. I believe for a lot of you, it will be, and I know that you will succeed. I know that God has believed in you. He’s put you in a position or when he has a life for you to live. And today’s going to be your first day of stepping forward into that until we talk again. Create an amazing day.