Why You Must Parent Yourself

I doubt you’ve heard this before!

But I’m here to tell you that you must never stop parenting yourself.

We all have those days where we just don’t feel like doing what we should be doing to move us closer to our goals.

Ever have those days?

Any of us that have had children, or been around children, understand that without parenting they would likely eat candy until they were sick, not get off their video game, not brush their teeth, nor do most of the things that are good for them.

As adults, we never outgrow that desire to do things we shouldn't and to not do things we should.

This is where parenting yourself comes in.

Despite our temptations and reluctances, it is incredibly important to push ourselves to do the things we don’t feel like doing in order to live a successful life.

Another way to say it is to discipline ourselves.

The willingness, and more importantly the ability to do so, is what separates successful people from those with less success.

How much success, impact and positive influence do you aspire to have on those your life touches?

We all have aspirations in life but if we put off the things required to realize those things until it’s easier or less tedious, we may never accomplish them.

Is there anything you are putting off?

Procrastination has killed more dreams than failure ever will. Don’t let your dreams become a statistic.

Mark Twain had solid advice when he said, “Do not put off till tomorrow what can also be put off till the day-after-tomorrow just as well.”

Which brings me back to my point…

The tendency to procrastinate is why you must continually “parent” yourself.

As an adult, and someone seeking to maximize your God-given gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities, nobody else can execute for you.

It’s up to you to redeem the time!

If you absolutely must put something off until tomorrow, procrastination itself should be the thing.

Engaging in positive activities even when we don’t feel like doing so forces us to manage our emotions, practice courage, increase resilience, and builds essential skills and capabilities that will lead to increased confidence and thereby increased future success.

The next time you don’t feel like doing something, take a deep breath, remind yourself it is important, and get to work!

If you’d like to hear the most recent interview with my rockstar Proverbs 31 wife, Nicole Blain, on my “Life's Hard, Succeed Anyway” podcast, you can listen and subscribe here.

Until next time,