Tomorrowitis

Do you suffer from Tomorrowitis? If you find yourself saying: I'll find time tomorrow… Sure I want to do it, but… My hands are full at the moment… and other similar things…, then you are suffering from tomorrowitis. Learn in this article how to get rid of this problem.

Thousands thronged to see him. Day after day they sought him out, the fee charged was of no consequence. He was a must for all. Harry was an instant success, yet he was a dismal failure.

Our star was the focus of attention at one of the greatest introspective plays of the '40s, 'The Iceman Cometh,' by Eugene O'Neill. Harry's wife had died twenty years previously. Since that time he had never stepped out of his house. Oh yes, he had planned that proposed walk down the road, unfortunately that walk never materialized. You see one day he would have 'a back playing up' another day, 'bad weather' then 'caught cold', in fact there was an impressive array of excuses he could turn to. The audience watched in uncontrollable mirth as Harry, afflicted by Tomorrowitis, sunk deeper and deeper into his grave of failure. 

Tomorrowitis is a psychological disease in which we postpone all our 'activities' to another day. But predominantly that day never arrives.

Tomorrowitis was the cause of Harry's blocking his own highway to a happy and fruitful life.

Do you suffer from Tomorrowitis? If you find yourself saying:

I'll find time tomorrow…
Sure I want to do it, but…
My hands are full at the moment…
I am waiting for inspiration…

First, I have to make a detailed plan, budget, etc… and other similar things…
These are all symptoms of a crippling disease called Tomorrowitis - the ghost that will forever haunt you. But don't worry! Unlike terminal cancer, Tomorrowitis can be cured with 100% success. This wonder drug cure is already in your hands. It is upto you to use it.

FIRST, we have to introspect. Sit down and think honestly along these guidelines:

Why haven't I started this project?
Am I scared of failing?
Do I really want this, if not why am I doing it?
What will others think?
Why haven't I taken that long proposed foreign holiday?

Remember, you must be TOTALLY honest with yourself. Only you will know the outcome of this investigation. No one else will know, so there is no need for embarrassment. Thread by thread untangle this knot, that has denied you your personal success.

Now that you have dragged out into the open all your 'reasons' for procrastination, we can broadly classify them into two groups:

(1) Fear of failure.
(2) Lack of interest.

You will now have realized that the previously once insurmountable 'problems and fears' you faced have now rapidly diminished in size and have lost their awareness.

SECONDLY, begin the job in hand, this is the key to success. I can guarantee that Mozart, Bach, Wagner, etc., didn't wait for inspiration to walk into their heads, they galloped to inspiration. Day after day they sat down to the job of composing. The sheer effort they put, sparked off that genius latent within them. You can also spark off that hidden genius in yourself whether you want to compose music or make a kitchen wall unit.

To succeed you need motivation.

Do you want to pass those exams or don't you?
Do you want promotion or don't you?
Do you want to live a happier life or don't you?

If you really want these things and much more, what is there stopping you? Go right ahead and do it. School children are often heard saying, "Finders keepers, losers weepers". This rhyme applies to every one. For success we have only to search and endeavor, those who don't ultimately end up weeping.

Take the example of Master Haeng Ung Lee. When Lee was a boy growing up in Korea in relative poverty he had no concept of business or the martial arts. After World War II he started judo - but failed, boxing met with a similar result. Finally he tried Tae Kwan do, an activity that combines physical fitness, self-defense and internal discipline. Soon, Lee founded a martial arts school, but it was a failure. Some then suggested that he should go to America. Lee took up the challenge but after six months found himself back in Korea due to a faulty visa. 

Lee didn't give up, despite the fact that he lost all his friends. Fighting hard, Lee regained his visa and once again travelled to the U.S.A. He opened a martial arts school in Omaha. Working intensely, Lee slowly expanded his school. Now he has over 250 schools and needless to say money is pouring in like water over Niagara.

But more importantly, Lee, the former pauper boy of Korea, is getting satisfaction from his being able to help thousands of other people lead a more fruitful and healthy life.

So far we have discussed how you can become aware of the habit, for that's what Tomorrowitis really is, a deadly habit. This habit has now to be got rid of.

The logical steps in escaping from any habit are:

(1) to become aware of it,

(2) replace it with a desirable habit. How? Well you virtually have to break the habit of Tomorrowitis.

One way is to force yourself to do everything. Go and see that friend now, write that postcard now, fix that drainpipe now, … remember, Now.

Don't be concerned if you can't finish everything. To finish is not your present goal. You should be concerned only with starting. Finishing will automatically come later, but starting is the magic formula.

If Dr. Livingstone could replace the spear for a Bible in darkest Africa, I'm sure you can replace a bad habit for a good one. If Mahatma Gandhi could slowly memorise the entire Bhagwad Gita during his daily morning brush rituals, I'm sure you can start a big task on a regular basis, bit by bit. After a few weeks you will feel as if a dragging weight has been removed from your shoulders. You will be free, a liberty you probably haven't enjoyed for a long, long time.

You are now on your way to success in your chosen field.