How You Too Can Kill Bill… GET ACTIVE! Now…

Remember the other day, when I blogged about excuses? Well, this isn’t a rehash of that same topic, but it is similarly veined. Instead of talking about excuses today, I want to talk about laziness.

When I was a kid, my mom liked to tell me how lazy I was. “You are so, lazy! You’re lazy like so-and-so. I can’t believe how lazy you are…” Blah, blah, blah. I didn’t realize until adulthood that most of the time when people insult you on that level, it’s really a reflection on their own inadequacies, and though I love her dearly, perhaps all that time dear old mum was reflecting on her own lack of motivation. Who knows. What i do know is that despite the crippling side-effects of being told I was lazy all the time, it definitely prompted me to take a good look at EVERYTHING I did all the time.

Was I approaching my life from a half-assed stand? Did I lack motivation? Was I really lazy?

On the one hand, I think we all have lazy days when we lack motivation, and hold off on pushing ourselves. On the other hand, I realized that I am far more motivated than a lot of people, and if I need to get something done, I do it. I actively participate in everything I do, and so I always meet deadlines, get things done before they need to be done, show up on time (usually early,) and so I expect everyone else to do the same thing.

I know, I know. Expectations lead to disappointment, especially when you’ve pinned them to other people. The thing is, I know firsthand that if I am not actively participating in my life and the things that matter to me, I will wind up watching those things rush down the drain and into the sewer. If I’ve shared my plans and plots to do something with other people, and then have them depending on me to do it, and then I don’t follow through, I let myself and anyone depending on me down.

There’s nothing worse than the guilt of knowing you’ve disappointed someone else, well, except maybe the dread of self-disappointment.

Last fall I started blogging commitment reports. Sometimes they were every day, but usually once or twice a week, I called myself on the actions I was taking to realize my commitments and see them through. The Commitment Report held me accountable. It put all of my plots and plans out on the table and into the universe for the entire world to see. If I didn’t follow through on them, I wasn’t just letting myself down, I was letting the whole world down. Talk about motivation!

I realize we all fall into slumps sometimes. I also know that for many of us, digging our way out of the trenches once we’re down in them is damn near impossible. After awhile, your arms start to hurt, you get tired and eventually you consider giving up because it’s too hard to respark your motivation.

Well… you know what I say? Fuck that! (gasp… I said the F word!)

I was watching Kill Bill last night, and in truth, it inspired me more than you could imagine. Beatrix Kiddo. Okay, so she’s a fictional character in an outlandish situation, but she drove the point home. From the beginning of the movie, we know her motivation. She’s going to kill Bill. Nothing is going to stop her. Not a bullet in the head. Not her many enemies sent forth to slay her because Bill doesn’t like to get his own hands dirty. Not being buried alive. NOTHING!

So… whatever it is you’re putting off right now, I want you to think about Beatrix Kiddo and Bill. Label the things that are stopping you from moving forward “Bill.” All the little things that get in your way… those are Bill’s minions. Slay them one by one, until you are standing face to face with Bill, then use the five pointed palm exploding heart technique to obliterate your enemy.

If you don’t get active, you only have yourself to blame when your dreams sift through your fingers like sand. It’s cliche, but it’s also true: ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS!

Make a commitment to yourself, and stick to it. Hold yourself accountable for seeing whatever it is that needs doing through to the end.

Now, go on. Get out there and Kill Your Bill.