Yo yo yo. Welcome back to the Further your Lifestyle podcast conversations on lifestyle passions and hustles. My name's Chris, I'm your host and I'm super excited to be back here having the conversation with you Episode 204 today, and we're talking about probably a little bit of a controversial topic, which it may challenge a lot of you, because I feel like we've all been told this or someone has called you this in the past, or maybe you call other people this, and I think it's something that is going to be really important for us when we're looking at others, but also when we're looking at ourselves, and that is that lazy doesn't exist. It's something worse, and the whole topic is really we're exploring today how laziness it does not really exist, but really there's all these unseen barriers that do, and they come down to deep core issues, things that we're dealing with and things that we probably hide under being lazy, when there's always a reason of why we're being lazy. Lazy naturally thinks oh, you just don't want to get up and do it. That's right, you don't want to get up and do it, but why don't you want to get up and do it? And there's a really deep reasoning behind all this, and that's what we're going to discuss today. We're going to have a real deep conversation around about something that gets thrown around, probably way too often right Now. If this sounds like something that maybe you don't think you are lazy, right, probably a good reason to tune in. Maybe you think you are lazy even a better reason to tune in. But maybe there's other people that you find you get so frustrated with that you know you think they're lazy or they're just worthless or they don't do or pull their weight, and this is probably a really good one for you to help understand maybe there's something else going on. So this is the conversation that we're having today. If you enjoy this, make sure you do subscribe, comment if you want to continue the conversation, but most of all, if you enjoy this and you think someone else needs to hear it, please share it with someone. That would mean the absolute world to me and it helps grow the channel. It helps us help other people further their lifestyles. We're going to roll the intro. Let's get into it.

So how many times have you heard or told yourself I'm just too lazy to get started, or if I wasn't so lazy, I'd be further ahead? Or the cliche one of that person isn't successful because they're too lazy. But what if laziness isn't real? What if it isn't really the problem? What if we call laziness? Or what if what we call laziness is actually something deeper and something hidden, and something which maybe we didn't even think about all along? Because here's the truth People, we're not lazy, naturally we're not.

We're go-getters. We do things, we're humans, we're always pursuing something, but we become blocked by all these unseen barriers. Usually it comes down to psychological, mental reasons of why we don't do these things. But we do label ourselves or others as lazy, and we need to start asking ourselves what's really getting in the way. And that's what we're talking about today.

Firstly, what is the problem with labeling people as lazy? When we call someone lazy, whether it be ourselves or someone else, we're assuming that they don't care. We're assuming that they have a lack of discipline, we're assuming that they're unmotivated. But the reality is people do want to do better. We strive for, you know, whether it's a promotion or success or money, or to impress other people or to just feel good. And if someone isn't taking action, it's usually because there is something that's stopping them right. And I want to break down what those real reasons of why people seem to be lazy right, and I think the first one comes down to a whole bunch of different things, of mental and emotional barriers, the first one being that I've looked through all this and I believe the first one is fear of failure.

We've spoken about this here on the podcast heaps of times. If you don't start, you can't fail, so your brain tend to just it jumps in and it protects you from you know, keeping you from getting into a situation which is going to make you feel uncomfortable, right? The other thing that we tend to do or overthink is about perfectionism. If it can't be perfect, then why do we bother doing it? Again, this is a huge hidden block. We don't want to get ourselves in that sticky situation. Therefore, we pull back, we don't even want to deal with it. Maybe it's decision fatigue. When we're overwhelmed with too many choices, we feel like doing nothing is actually the easiest answer. Sometimes it may be, sometimes we need to wait for more information, but sometimes we just get so overwhelmed we're just like you know what stuff, I don't want to deal with this, and you chuck it to the side.

The other one is low self-worth, and maybe you don't believe you deserve something success and you subconsciously avoid working towards it. You self-sabotage Is that you Do you do that, I've done it, I've done it before. So maybe we need to start thinking about, instead of saying I'm lazy, we you and me, both of us we need to start asking am I scared of failing, or am I overwhelmed? Or do I believe I can actually do this or not? What are the questions? These are all questions that I've had to deal with growing my business, and you've got to go through these to figure out what it is, because no one else is going to do it for you. Now there's things that I can procrastinate with and people might think they're lazy, but no, it's because I'm scared. Does this sound like something that you do? So it's mental and emotional barriers.

Number two, or the second area, is physical and biological barriers. Maybe it's burnout and fatigue. Your body isn't necessarily built for that constant productivity right, and if you're drained, your body is forcing you to slow down. Sometimes these aren't excuses. Sometimes this isn't you being lazy. This is you just needing to recover, right and understanding that and identifying that. No, no, this is a time for rest. Before we get back at it, maybe there's a lack of proper rest. Maybe you know you're lacking in sleep and by doing so it mimics the effects of being drunk right, there's been heaps of studies that have proven this. It's not about being lazy. It's not about that you are being lazy, you're exhausted, right.

The next one is then nutritional, or what about health factors? You know, maybe you have a low vitamin deficiency, right? Low iron or B12 or I don't know. B, I mean a vitamin D, I don't know, I have no idea. It might be worth checking out, because that can cause also fatigue. That can cause you to make it feel impossible to want to take action. So, again, we need to ask ourselves, instead of saying I should just push through, we need to ask ourselves am I actually taking care of my mind and body? You're not being lazy, you're actually looking after yourself so that you can be non-lazy?

The third area is environmental and systemic barriers. It's a bit of a weird one. Financial stress this one can be something which is very deep and psychological, and it's hard to be productive when we're stressing and we're worried about how do we pay rent or how do we make it through the next month, how do we get through with the next paycheck. That can be tough. The other one is then, sometimes, our environments we live in or that we are in. Whether it's a toxic environment, you know. If you're in a space that drains your energy, it's going to be very hard to be motivated, or waiting for that motivation to magically appear. You need to get into a better situation, a better environment.

Maybe we just lack the time and resources Now. Sometimes people are juggling multiple jobs, or you know we're having to do a lot of caregiving, or there's other things in life that demand our time. Now, you're not lazy, you're stretched thin. However, there is sometimes needing to make sure we're not. You know using other things as procrastinations to avoid doing things that we should be doing. So in this case, we need to start asking ourselves, instead of, should I just work harder? We need to ask are there external factors making this harder for me, and are there things that we can revisit? Are there things that we can change up, reprioritize, reschedule?

The fourth area is lack of goals, or lack of clear goals and lack of systems. Sometimes we just lack any clear direction, and if you don't know exactly what to do next, you're going to procrastinate. But sometimes we think too big so we don't take smaller steps. A great way to do this is ask yourself is this going to get me closer to where I want to be? If yes, then you can move forward to it. If you're still pushing away from it, it's probably because it's making you uncomfortable. There's no immediate reward. Sometimes people struggle to do the delayed gratification. Humans wear wide for a short-term gratification and if a goal feels too distant, sometimes that motivation will fade. So maybe you need to change that up as well. We don't have systems in place. Sometimes, when we don't have systems in place, our willpower enough isn't alone.

Successful people you look at the greats, you look at the look. It's a very generalized thing, approach and view of it all. But the successful people rely on habits, schedules, routines, accountability, not just motivation. So instead of saying I just need to try harder, you need to ask yourself do I have a clear and manageable plan to follow? Seems good enough, right, seems fair. So here's a whole bunch of other questions that we can ask ourselves.

When you feel lazy and if you ever feel stuck, if you ever feel unmotivated, or maybe that you're feeling lazy, stop and ask yourself these seven questions. Number one what am I avoiding and why? Number two is fear playing a role in my hesitation to take action? Number three am I physically, emotionally or mentally drained? Number four do I have too many choices making it hard to actually start? Number five am I setting unrealistic expectations on myself? Number six do I believe I deserve this success or am I subconsciously sabotaging myself? And number seven what's one small, easy action that I can take right now to build the momentum? If you can build the momentum, you'll get a snowball happening and you can just ride that wave. It's not always going to be as easy, as I just said, but you will get that momentum and you want to keep tapping into it.

So how do we actually overcome these unseen barriers? Now, this is very high level, and I do say look, if you need help, seek help. Okay, reach out, contact someone, whether it's through a hotline, whether it's a family member or a mentor or whoever. But this is very generic. This is very broad, now that we know that laziness maybe is just a symptom of deeper issues. So what can we do about it? Right, I think number one is we need to get honest with ourselves. We need to really dig deeper, and we kind of just talked about this last week, about who we really are, but dig deep into the real reason behind our inaction. Why aren't we taking action? What are the reasons that are hindering us? And then, when we're ready to take action, do it small, start small, take tiny actions to break the cycle of avoidance. We also need to be managing ourselves with our mind and body, taking care of our mind and body right. Prioritize sleep, nutrition and your movement.

One thing that I love to talk about here on the channel, whether it's in the business and on the podcast, is remove friction. This is really important, right. When we make good habits easier, the bad habits become harder. Remove friction. The other thing is we need to set clear and manageable goals. You don't have to get super crazy with these, but just avoid overwhelming yourself by focusing on the next step not necessarily the whole journey at the one time and give yourself a little bit of grace.

Growth isn't linear. It's going to be up and downs, roller coasters. It's going to be linear. It's going to be up and downs, roller coasters. It's going to be easy. It's going to be hard. It's going to be a whole different experience compared to everyone else. Some days are going to be tougher than others as well, and that's okay. So give yourself some room, give it a go.

So the final thought around this no, you're not lazy, it's a myth. I think it is Personally like. Sometimes I feel like I'm being lazy because I'm playing video games, but really I'm just exhausted. I'm not being lazy. I've worked so hard all week. I work very hard, but sometimes it's because we see other people doing things. But that's their time that they can do it. So stop projecting, stop comparing and stop self-sabotaging. It's a label, laziness. It's a label we use when we don't take the time to understand what's actually holding us back or what's actually going on.

If you're feeling stuck, look for the hidden barrier, not a lack of motivation. I think there's a barrier, rather than you're just not lazy. There's things that are stopping you from actually taking action and moving forward. And no, you don't need to try harder. You need to give your best. Yes, that's all you need to do, but you do need to remove what's blocking you from being able to be your best. And once you shift that mindset from I'm lazy to what's actually stopping you, everything will change. You'll be able to make better progress because you're able to manage yourself better, all right, so the question I'll leave you with today is this what is an unseen barrier that is in the way of whatever you're trying to do right now?

Let's talk about it. Drop a comment down below in the YouTube comments. Let's continue the conversation. Maybe you don't want to continue the conversation. That's fine. I do challenge you to go have this conversation with yourself. But most of all, if you've enjoyed this, please subscribe, comment, but most of all, please share it with someone else If they need to hear this. Help them overcome their unseen barriers, help them stop thinking they're being lazy and help them really become a better version of themselves and again we can help other people further their lifestyle. Appreciate you being here. We'll be back here again doing it all again. You have a wonderful day, cheers.