In our efforts for self-improvement, we sometimes fail to attain our objectives despite having the required knowledge and understanding of what we need to do and what will be achieved if we put in the necessary effort. We recognise the problem, know how it can be resolved, but are still unable to do it.
The reason is a common habit that is quite strong in some people – of procrastination. When we get the thought of doing something, it carries with it the energy of newness and some zeal and enthusiasm. All these provide us with a psychological boost if we act on the thought immediately – of course, after due consideration. That positive frame of mind lightens the burden of the effort we put in.
However, if we put off implementing our ideas, due to inertia or laziness, their freshness is soon lost, and so is the spirit that comes with a new thought. Later on, when we decide to act, we may find the effort tedious because the initial vigour is missing. Our exertions may flag and the result we achieve might be well short of what it could have been had we acted immediately. The difference is similar to that between eating fresh fruit and having that same fruit after it has withered and become stale. How much energy and nutrition will it provide then?
We say: “I will do it… it will happen… it has to happen… yes, I want to do it…” By thinking in this way and endlessly making plans, we allow the fresh fruit to wither. Acting without delay brings greater success, and with it more happiness. But we are robbed of both by the habit of putting off things and coming up with excuses such as, “once this happens, then I will do it…” And then, when we are disappointed by the results of our belated efforts, we think, “Well, I did it the right way, but it did not work.”
Fortune is connected to time. Once the time has passed, the atmosphere, the attitude, the vibration… everything changes. Even the best seed planted at the wrong time will not produce the desired result. Just as eating fresh fruit is invigorating, prompt and spirited action brings greater success, joy, and a feeling of progress and power.
Doctors often advise people to have fresh food. “Don’t fry it, roast it, or change its form before you eat it: have it as it is to get the maximum benefit”, they say. Similarly, acting quickly on a good idea, without adulterating it with our weak thoughts, leads to fast progress. We not only succeed but also set an example that inspires many others.
B.K. Mruthyunjaya is Executive Secretary of the Brahma Kumaris.