Is it procrastination or synchronicity?
When is procrastination actually synchronicity?
Let’s start with what procrastination is. The website Wordnik defines it as:
To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness
To postpone or delay needlessly
To delay; to be dilatory
You may notice that all three of these definitions have a negative connotation.
So what is synchronicity?
Merriam Webster defines synchronicity as “the coincidental occurrence of events that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality.” Like these zebras all lined up and drinking at the same time:
That was interesting, but I wanted a deeper understanding, and so I found this:
(There are) just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness.
The first is that you stop worrying. Things don’t bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy. The second is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities.
And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous.
~ Deepak Chopra, Synchrodestiny: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence to Create Miracles
‘Experience the miraculous’ – how wonderful is that?
That’s exactly what happened when I wanted to return some items to Ikea – but kept putting it off. I felt too busy, or too tired, or just not in the mood. Finally I got myself over there and, as I like to do, parked pretty far out in theparking lot so that I could get a little walk in. So far out, that there were no cars around me. I got out of my car and had only walked a few steps when I saw something on the ground. It was a wallet. With $3,333 in it!
This WAS miraculous – not due to the cash. It was miraculous because it all was arranged so that I could get that wallet back to the person who lost it. And because of the spiritual message of the number 3333, which is that it is a symbol of your unbreakable link to the cosmos, and the subtle synergies that are taking place. Including – get this – ‘You’re going to be surprised real soon by how suddenly and miraculously everything works in your favor.’ ( Source )
Then there was the time that I wanted to go take a look at some office chairs – but instead of leaving when planned, I kept doing other tasks. After finally leaving, I soon found myself behind a mini-van that had the license plate, ‘WE R CALM.’ My own license plate says, ‘BE CALM,’ so the two of us together were a moving message of calmness. As I reflected on this, I realized how often what I had judged as procrastinating ended up making it possible for me to be in the right place at the right time.
It was synchronicity.
This message about experiencing more and more synchronicities spoke to me, as the license plate was one of two synchronous experience that I’d had in one week. Interestingly, both involved my search for office chairs.
In the 2nd synchronicity, I had an idea that I could post a request on Freecycle.org for an office chair. So I did – and within 24 hours, someone replied that she had a nearly brand new one that she would be happy to give me. As we corresponded to arrange the pickup, we discovered that her neighbor was a woman who had hosted a few workshops I’d taken. That woman came over when I picked up the chair. We were delighted to re-connect with each other!
One take away from this is that if I had labeled my leaving later than planned as ‘distracted,’ ‘ADD,’ or ‘procrastinating,’ I might not have been in a good mood enough to even notice that license plate. Where your attention goes, your energy flows.
So being kind to ourselves and looking on the positive side opens us up to be able to notice those synchronicities. Which themselves feel good. It’s a win-win in our lives!
