Maybe You're Not Being Lazy After All - Grit & Grace
Unwilling to work or use energy. Been there, done that, and often. For most of my life, I’ve labeled my reluctance and just lacking the desire to do certain things procrastination and laziness. And while those may be actual traits I’m walking in at any given time, the whole sitting with my feelings thing has prompted me to take a closer look at laziness. Without a doubt, I’m starting to consider the possibility that I might not be that lazy after all.
A friend recently shared her struggles with laziness. I let her know that my challenge with “selective productivity” was a longstanding issue I fight through often.
“What if you’re not lazy? What if you’re…”
That’s the title that stumbled across my newsfeed within a day of my friend sharing her laziness struggles with me. Coincidence? I think not. I decided to take a closer look.
“Anxious? Unmotivated? Drained? Scared? Yes! Lazy? Nope!”
For the first time in my life, I believed that not really feeling motivated to do anything could be something other than laziness . That Holistically Grace post I stumbled across flipped the switch. It stopped me in my tracks, and challenged me with a new perspective I had never considered.
How we speak to and about ourselves is a big deal. Using the word “lazy” to describe ourselves is not very helpful. When was the last time shame paved the way towards worthwhile change? It usually has the opposite effect on me – it makes me feel worthless and shuts me down.
Sitting with my laziness.
When I sit with my laziness, or what I am viewing as laziness at the time, I give myself an opportunity to extend myself a little compassion. Also, this empowers me to move forward when I give myself a chance to figure out what’s going on underneath the surface.
I move from stuck to unstuck.
What if what I have to do isn’t motivating? Maybe I’m overwhelmed and unsure where to start. What if it’s too much for me to handle? I might be struggling with fear of potential success or changes. What if I just need rest and time to be still in order to keep going?
Sitting with my feelings helps me get to the bottom of what’s really going on underneath it all.
Where do we go from here?
Remember: being lazy isn’t the enemy. Neither are you for struggling with laziness.
So maybe you are being lazy. Maybe you’re not. You don’t want to do it, whatever that “it” is. Acknowledge it, sit with it, and then take the next step. Before you start calling yourself names and let shame lead the way, pay attention to whatever may be underneath the surface. And then deal with that.
You might not be that lazy after all.
Becky is a Miami native, and has lived here all of her life. Married to her husband for over 20 years, they lead a very active lifestyle along with their three teenagers and Riley, their rescue dog. Becky loves to teach, and has had the awesome privilege of home educating her children for over twelve years. When not teaching academics, Becky loves to equip, encourage, and empower women through the teaching of her group fitness classes. Becky and her husband lead various ministries, and their family loves to serve the community through the countless opportunities provided over the past twenty years+ in their local church. She enjoys filling her “free” time with reading, writing, watching movies, and just spending time with the family. Becky has a passion for living her life with grit and grace, and encouraging others to do the same.
