The magic lies in the work that you are avoiding.

Honest talk about how to deal with procrastinating on your dreams

POV: You wake up with great aspirations for the day; goals to accomplish, things to create, ideas to set in motion. But then the load of reality hits you like a truck - the fear, the uncertainty, the discomfort. Suddenly, all you can think about is the perfect time to start. Other things get in your way. You start to push things off, choosing to procrastinate in favor of feeling safe. Your dreams are being boxed in, while the timeline continually stretches. You keep telling yourself, I'll do it tomorrow, when things are perfect.

Can you relate to this? This continuous pattern of waiting and delaying but then feeling bad for doing it is what we often refer as to procrastination. But, this piece isn't about how terrible procrastination is. Instead, I want to guide your attention towards the hidden opportunity lying within it: the possibility for growth.

Yes, our minds are scared to change. They’re scared to face uncertainties. They most certainly hate being considered a beginner, to “fail” or to start over again. And the funny thing is, most of us are aware that we’ve been procrastinating on that ONE thing, that would bring us closer to our goals, which obviously makes us even more anxious and stressed. And nonetheless we rarely change something about it - we get so comfortable in our routine that we end up getting lost in the motion. Moving though life on autopilot. Without meaning. Without purpose. Lacking direction. And mostly motivation to get things done, especially when it comes to things that we’ve been avoiding for quite a while now. We fool ourselves into thinking that the real magic lies in finding shortcuts or waiting for the perfect opportunity to come along.

I felt so called to write about this tonight as that’s what I’ve been experiencing the past few months with this blog. I initially stopped writing because I thought I’d move entirely over to my podcast - but then my solo trip to Thailand came (stay tuned, definitely sharing some insights on that soon!!) and after that my Yoga Teacher Training started.. well you see - sometimes life throws you on other paths to explore, expand your soul and to learn new things. And that is beautiful and a crucial part of our journey. To learn, to respond to outer circumstances. To move WITH the waves of life. Don’t get me wrong. But since Thailand I had this urge to start writing again. To just sit down, light some candles, make myself a huge cup of my favorite tea, listen to music and let the words just flow through me onto this virtual paper. To release control and let my soul speak for once. THIS (referring to this blog and all that I am sharing on here) is how I see the world - I express my truth, my deepest fears and greatest accomplishments along these pages. For me, it’s one of the purest examples of a divine power. It’s like my soul stripped away from the body in the shape of letters. So yes. It means a lot to me. As soon as I sit down, take out my laptop and start writing, it suddenly feels like time is standing still and I can allow myself to express my most vulnerable and authentic self. Without forcing, without expecting or changing things. Just raw and honest thoughts and feelings.

But not having done this in quite a long time I was afraid to start again. My mind convinced me that my work would just disappoint me. That it wasn’t the „right“ time to start writing again. That I wouldn’t be able to gather the right words to express myself, as I used to. „You’re not that good enough anymore“, „Nobody is going to read that anyway.“ So I procrastinated. I told myself over and over again, that „the time would come again“. Surprise, that time is nothing more than a mere illusion. All that exists is the now. The present moment IS the right timing.

And obviously this strong calling to commit to it didn’t disappear. It actually got bigger. But with that, the fear to truly START also grew bigger. And I know that most of you can totally relate to this. As soon as we decide that it may be THE TIME to finally take the leap of faith and face the fear, the fear expands even further. So what do most of us do? We take a step back again. We delay our dreams. But that is the vicious cycle we have to break in order to experience real growth in any area of our life. That is the pitfall of this mechanism. Just as a caterpillar cannot morph into a beautiful butterfly without passing through the uncomfortable chrysalis stage, we, too, cannot transcend our current state without braving our challenges.

So eventually, I got to the point where I started to tell myself „okay, I got this. Tonight I am going to write again“, but we all know how it went in the end. There was this little voice in my head that kept laughing at me and repeating: „Stop fooling yourself. You won’t commit to it anyways.” So obviously I gave in. Still feeling miserable for not finding the courage to silence these limiting thoughts and just doing it despite of them.

Buddha once said “Rule your mind, or it will rule you.” Back in 2017, when I read this quote for the first time it found me in Divine timing. It was where I truly started to commit to recovering from my eating disorder and take back the life I’ve lost. Until today, this is still one of the most powerful mantras to reconnect back to my authentic self, especially when I get lost in destructive mental chatters and allow my ego to take over.

But this time it was another quote that brought me back to my values, that reignited the fire that was burning within me, the desire to let my soul speak. To finally stop keeping myself small, lowering my voice and give into these lies. I went on a walk that afternoon, with someone that recently entered my life out of nowhere lol but glad he did - and he said “You know, the magic that you’re seeking, is in the work that you’re avoiding.” And that is when it hit me. That’s when I knew. I had to come back to this space. To MY space. I had to look fear dead in the eye and do it anyways. If there is one thing that I want you to take from this post is

„the only thing that procrastinating does, is feed your insecurities and give room to fear and limitations to grow within your mind.“

You must be thinking, why is that? Well, it's simple, because each act of procrastination is fuelled by fear. The fear of failing, the fear of what others might think, and sometimes, the terrifying fear of our very success. But to uncover our true potential, to reveal the magic within, we must confront this fear. Every act of procrastination only distances you from your true, limitless potential.

Growth, in really any aspect of your life, whether it is personal, mental, physical or in your career, won’t be served on a silver platter. It won’t be waiting for you at the end of a rainbow. True magic and expansion is found in the journey, the perseverance, and the growth that comes from pushing through challenges and embracing the process.

It’s in the daily commitment to showing up and putting in the effort. So, don’t let fear or distractions hold you back. Look fear dead in the eye and do it anyways. Despite the voices. The doubts. The worries. Often, the path of most resistance leads to the greatest growth. Because it’s there where you step outside of your comfort zone and do things differently. It’s there, when you stop living the same day over and over again and start to be defined by a vision of the future, instead of a story of the past. Choose action, despite fear. Choose growth, despite setbacks. In this pursuit of action, of constant movement, is where the true magic resides.

Our most profound growth is often found in discomfort. Think of a seed - its first act is to push through the confines of the soil, straining against the darkness until it breaks through into the light. This act, fuelled by a delusional force and drive towards the sun, isn't easy, but it's necessary. It’s THIS push that allows the seed to develop into a beautiful plant. Humans are not that different. We are also capable of sprouting roots deep within the soil of fear, of nurturing the growth we are capable of, despite adversity. But in order to do that, we HAVE to confront our procrastination, viewing it as a sign for where we need to focus our efforts on.

Instead of seeing procrastination as a setback, try reframing it as a road map guiding you towards your growth. Are you procrastinating because you're scared of disappointing others? This is an opportunity to learn and build your self-esteem. Is the fear of failure causing your delay? You're on the brink of developing resilience and understanding that success isn’t linear. Are you waiting for the perfect timing? Then it's high time to embrace the beauty of starting despite the imperfections.

Don't wait until tomorrow or the day after. Growth lies here, now, in the work you're avoiding, in the fears you're hiding, in the life you’re living. Fear might knock on your door every day. Let it in. Offer it a cup of tea. Use it to understand yourself better. Harness it as a tool for personal growth, as an inspiration to be better today than you were yesterday.

There’s one Chinese quote that goes something like that “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

If you've been procrastinating on something, take this as a sign. The time for your growth isn’t in the future, when everything is “perfect”. The time is NOW.

Plant your seed today and give yourself the opportunity to grow, regardless of the challenges ahead. The Universe is waiting for you to take this step, and you have everything it takes to transform into the most aligned and fulfilled version of yourself. Trust in the journey. Trust in yourself. Trust in the beauty of your growth.

Feel free to share this with anyone you think might benefit from this post! As always, take what resonates with you and leave the rest. <3 So grateful to have this space where I can share my thoughts and just allow my soul to take up space. Boldly. Authentically. And wholly. So thank YOU for reading and supporting my work!! It means the world to me.

And know that you’re never alone with your doubts. If you feel like your thoughts are getting too loud again, PLEASE reach out to a friend or loved one. Sometimes that is the best thing to get out of your head and tap into your power again. 🪽

Until next time,

Francesca 🧚🏼