I recently spoke with a business associate about why he had not shown up at a meeting he had said he would not attend. When he told me that he had not gone to the meeting because he "just didn’t feel like it" I was surprised and confused.

When did not feeling like it become an excuse to not follow through with what you had said you were going to do? I believe it is this attitude that causes people to not succeed in various aspects of their life. When you do not feel like doing something, ask yourself these questions:

Is there something else I would rather be doing? You may feel like you have to choose between two events that are happening at the same time. When you schedule a meeting or other activity write it down in a plan book or electronic calendar. If something is going to be a time conflict see if you can change the time of one of the events. Take advantage of time shifting. If you have a conference call or teleseminar scheduled, see if you can listen to the replay or get an mp3 recording of the call.
Is this activity one that fits in with my goals and objectives for my personal, professional, or spiritual life? If something does not fall high on your list of priorities, it is unlikely that you will follow through with it. Try to judge that before you commit to doing something or being somewhere. Just be honest with people and tell them that you are not able to do what they are asking of you. You can even explain to them that you are managing your time and that what they want you to do does not fit into your allotment of time.
Do I have a physical or psychological reason for not doing what I said I would do? If you are trying to do too much in your life you may become over tired or disinterested. Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed at just want to stay home and relax with a book or a favorite television show.
Whatever the reason, being honest with the people around you is always the best decision to make. By telling others why you will not be doing what you had promised to do you will gain their respect. Let them know that you will be available for specific events and activities and that you can be counted on at those times. This is the best way to make valuable use of your time and always being a person that others can depend and rely upon.

Connie Ragen Green
http://www.ReinventYourLifeWithPassion.com