15 Positive Affirmations To Stop Procrastinating & Pursue Your God-Given Dreams!

Today we are going to talk about affirmations to stop procrastinating (and so much more)! Why?

Because you know the Lord is calling you to do something different with your life. Not just like buying a new Bible or praying a little bit longer or trying that new Sunday school class.

No, He wants you to do something big. Radical. Scary (yikes). And he’s been wanting you to do it for a while now…like maybe even years.

And you keep saying to yourself that one day you’ll actually do it…

But you’re too scared to jump out there in faith and start whatever it is that he’s been wanting you to do.

So you procrastinate because your anxiety is off the charts.

You let everything including the kitchen sink (hey the dishes have to get done, amirite?) get in the way of following God’s plan for your life (ask me how I know). 

So today I hope to give you some encouragement! If you have a God-given dream and you can’t stop putting it off, then I think the two articles in this series will help you.

I’m going to share with you some actionable tips & positive affirmations to help you overcome procrastination and how to use them in your journal so you can finally make your God-given dreams a reality!

How To Know If Your Goals Or Dreams Are God Given  

Every time the Holy Spirit starts poking and prodding you to start the project ( in fact that’s what we’ll call it throughout the duration of this post, the project) you’re all “is this really what I’m supposed to do? If only I could get a sign”

And because no clouds roll back like a scroll, no dove descends upon your shoulder, and no booming voice from heaven proclaims “yes my child this is exactly what you must do. Go forth and use thine talents in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit” you act all brand new like you aren’t sure your really being “lead” or not.

Well, let’s establish something.

If the project is challenging, outside of your comfort zone, scares you a little (or to death) and it will glorify God and serve people, it’s prolly God’s will.

Well…shoot.

Trust me, I feel your pain.

So now what?

You’ve got this potentially life-changing project staring you in the face, haunting you at every step but you can’t seem to take that next step to actually doing it.

You procrastinate and put everything before this project but I’m here to encourage you.

You are reading the words of the queen of procrastination.

I’ve been “working” on this blog for the past 2 years (yeah, I know, it’s completely ridiculous) too terrified to hit publish on my first post.

And yet here you are right now reading it.  So if there’s hope for me then I promise there’s hope for you.

But how?

I hear you ask.

Well, that’s what this post is all about.

I’m going to show you how I’ve gone from the queen of procrastination to the girl that (sometimes) says let’s do this and loves to take action!

And because this post would be over 4,000 words if I left it intact, I’m going to dissect it into 2 posts.

It’s too much to take in all at once. So that’s why I’m dividing it.

What Is Procrastination?

Let’s look at the definition of procrastination so we are all on the same page. 

Dictionary.com defines procrastination as such:

The act or habit of procrastinating or putting off, or delaying, especially something that requires immediate attention.

Pay extra attention to words like habit and immediate attention because I believe this really highlights the meaning perfectly.

The habit of delaying something requiring immediate attention is exactly what I’ve been known to do for years, wasting time that I’ll never get back. 

Wouldn’t you say that something the Lord wants you to do requires immediate attention?

Yet, I’ve put the Lord off for 2 almost 3 years.

Procrastination of this magnitude and duration weighs on you heavily.

Now let’s define anxiety-based procrastination

Anxiety-based procrastination can also be called:

Anxiety-related procrastination 

Anxiety-induced procrastination 

Panic-induced procrastination 

But they all mean the same thing. 

 Anxiety-based procrastination is when you are putting off a task or action because you are anxious or have anxiety surrounding that task. 

Psychology Today has a good article here that you can read. 

Procrastination can even start to affect your health which is the main reason why I’m discussing it on a blog about health.

Let’s go over the ways in which procrastination affects your health.

How Procrastination Affects Your Health

Physically: Procrastination leads to stress and stress leads to sleep issues, lower immunity, headaches, backaches, and even heart disease and high blood pressure.

Also when you have a high level of stress you are more likely to engage in substance abuse like drugs, alcohol, sex, or food, in order to cope with the stress.

Mentally: When we procrastinate, we are stressed.

But ummm didn’t you just talk about this, I hear you ask?

Yes, I did but stress has a whole host of problems associated with it.

Not only does it affect us physically but it also affects our mental state.

The mental strain caused by procrastination can cause anxiety (like I mentioned earlier) and depression.

When you always have tasks that you’re avoiding like the plague or are too afraid to tackle, you never have peace of mind.

Spiritually: Peace of mind is something that Jesus talked about repeatedly.

Jesus said Do Not Worry in so many different ways (Matthew 6:25-34; Matthew 11:28-30; John 14:27 for example) and yet we still don’t get it.

We worry like there’s no tomorrow.

We worry about how much we worry.

Worry, stress, and procrastination are like 3 peas in a pod (okay so that’s not an actual saying).

Procrastinating all of the important tasks in our lives leads to stress and stress causes us to worry, which Jesus clearly tells us not to do.

If we are stressing out all the time which we’ve already established is something Jesus advised against, our spiritual walk will suffer.

When we stress out and worry we show a lack of faith in Jesus and His power.

We aren’t showing Him that we trust Him and His plan for our lives.

I hate to say it but I’ve been telling Jesus that I don’t trust Him for about 3 years or so by my procrastination.

Lord, forgive me.

How To Stop Procrastinating: 2 Actionable Steps 

So how can we stop procrastinating?

How do we get out of this rut and finally start moving forward with “the project”?

Well, let’s jump right into this 7 step plan and find out because I want you to take immediate action.

Follow these action-oriented steps to stop this destructive pattern for good:

Step 1: Bookmark This Article

I know it may sound bossy. It is bossy but this is why I’m being so demanding. This one small step could be what turns everything around for you. 

Because I’ve been there (sometimes I am still there).

I’ve read a million different articles about how not to procrastinate and I never actually follow any of the advice.

So instead of reading 5 more articles like “23 Tips To Stop Procrastinating Overnight”, just read this one, over and over until you have followed all the steps and completed whatever project the Lord is calling you to do.

You don’t need a million different tips.

You just need a few powerful tips that work.

I pray that this post will contain those tips that will set you on your way.

Stop allowing yourself to be pulled in so many different directions and listening to too much advice.

Reading article after article post after post only slows you down and hinders you from taking action and being focused.

Taking action is the opposite of procrastination so if we want to stop procrastinating, we need to start by taking that first step toward accomplishing the goal.

Bookmarking this article is that first step.

Then I’m going to lead you step by step to the finish line.

So bookmark this article, put it on your home screen on your smartphone, print it out.

Put it wherever you think you will see it and reference it.

And okay, I’ll be generous.

Maybe you read this article and it doesn’t speak to you.

I understand.

No hard feelings, truly.

What I care about most is that you do find one article that speaks to you, you follow the steps,  you stop procrastinating and you start doing what the Lord would have you to do.

That’s really all the matters to me.

Whoever helps you get there is up to you.

But if you are feeling this article so far then let’s go ahead and go to step two (assuming of course you have already bookmarked this article)

Action Plan: Bookmark this page, save it on Pinterest, or add it to your home screen.

Step 2: Pinpoint Why You Procrastinate.

Okay, so now that this article is bookmarked we can get to the heart of the matter.

Why do we keep putting the Lord off?

This is the perfect time to pull out your journal and start exploring why you aren’t pursuing your God-given dreams.

I’ll be sharing some positive affirmation journaling prompts in a minute to help you explore why you procrastinate in just a minute.

There’s a reason why we keep saying “not now” when it comes to starting “the project.”

There’s a passion that God has put on our hearts but for some reason, obstacles keep getting in the way of us actually following it.

The Biggest Reasons Why We Procrastinate

My own personal reason for procrastinating on this blog for so long was fear.

Fear of the unknown, fear of success, fear of failure.

Any possible scary scenario that I could dream up in relation to this blog, I did.

I had my imagination working overtime creating all sorts of silly and unlikely scenarios.

And you know what?

Some of those scenarios could actually happen  (although its doubtful) but I don’t care because pleasing the Lord and using the talents he gave me to help others is more important than those things that may or may not happen.

Now obviously these feelings didn’t come to me overnight.

In the next step, I will discuss some of how I have overcome my fears.

But let’s first get back to you because we can’t move on to the next step without you really digging deep and pinpointing exactly what it is that is making you so hesitant to begin this new adventure.

Here is a list of reasons why we procrastinate

– Fear of Failure

• We are scared that we will look foolish in front of other people
• Scared that we will disappoint our family and ourselves
• Scared that we will see that we don’t have what it takes to succeed

– Fear of Success

• Afraid of how your life will change if you succeed
• Afraid that some people will be jealous
• Afraid that some people will look at like you’re money hungry
• Afraid you will open yourself up to internet trolls if your project involves social media
• Afraid to put yourself in a spotlight Afraid to be different Afraid of being a leader

– Fear of Change

• Fear of new responsibilities
• Fear of new decisions that will need to be made
• Fear of unknown
• Might need to quit job
• End relationships

– Fear of Being Known

• In other words, you are afraid that your life won’t be as private as it is now if your project really takes off.

– Lack of Control of the Situation

• Having to trust in the Lord, fear of unknown

– Lack of Faith in God

•  Unsure of what He wants you to do, scared He won’t be there to lead and guide you through it, that you won’t feel His presence

– Lack of Faith in Your Talent

• Not sure if you’re ready, if you know enough, if you’re smart enough, have enough experience

– Being Unsure of What God is Calling You To Do

– Lack of Support From People Around You

• Spouse/kids wouldn’t like it
• Friends would think you were weird
• Coworkers wouldn’t understand

-Laziness

• Project is too hard
• Is a lot of work
• Time intensive

These are just are few of the reasons why you might be struggling with procrastination.

But anxiety is usually one of the biggest reasons for procrastination.

It certainly was for me.

There are clearly tons of reasons why so if your reason is not listed here maybe they will help jog some sort of memory for you and help you figure it out.

If you truly can’t come up with a reason, I would pray about it and see if God will reveal it to you.

Positive Affirmation Journaling Prompts To Stop Procrastinating

And I’m also going to share some affirmation journaling prompts with you right now.

Why?

Because I believe journaling prompts are a positive way to focus on the positive and figure out why you do what you do and how to change your behavior.

You’ve got goals and writing these prompts in your journal will not only help you understand yourself better but also help you find the courage to go after the dreams and goals you’ve been putting off. 

Here’s how you use affirmations to stop procrastinating in your journal: write the affirmation journaling prompt and then underneath it write down actions you can take to make the affirmation a reality or complete the thought after the ellipses.

12 Positive Goal-Setting Affirmations To Stop Procrastinating To Write In Your Journal

1)With God’s help, I am capable of setting and achieving my goals. These are my goals…

2) I won’t let fear stop me from fulfilling my purpose. These are the actions I will take to live my purpose:

3) Even if I am afraid, I will still act. 

4) I won’t live with regret because…

5) Life is meant to be risky. Which risks am I willing to take?

6) With prayer, I can make wise decisions like…

7) I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13

8) No weapons formed against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17) What weapons have been formed against me?

9) I can’t wait to see what God has in store for my life because. 

10) I will take each day as it comes and live in the moment.

11) I will stop saying “one day” to my dreams and start working on them today starting with…

12) I love taking action and getting things done.

13) I want to pursue my God-given dream over my life by doing…

14) Eventually being proactive will come naturally to me

15) Remember to work hard first and the rewards will come after.

16) When I start projects, I finish them!

There Could Be Hundreds Of Reasons Why You Procrastinate…But Don’t Stress 

And keep in mind that there’s not necessarily just one reason why you procrastinate.

There could be a lot of reasons why.

It could be a combination of several of the ones listed and some more that you haven’t discovered yet.

Regardless, just keep in mind that you need to come up with at least one reason why.

You don’t necessarily have to know every single reason why.

Again, because getting bogged down in step two will keep you from moving on to step 3, don’t dwell on this too much.

I’d hate for you to procrastinate and never move on to the other steps.

When you feel moved to start working on the project but you hesitate and put it off, what are the thoughts that run through your head?

How do you feel?

Write it down in your journal or notebook.

Do you feel guilty, anxious, a little panicked?

Realizing how you feel when you think about the project might give you some insight as to why you haven’t started yet.