Recently, I was flipping channels when I came upon one of those medical documentaries about life in the emergency room. In this particular segment, a team of medical personnel were attempting to resuscitate a person who had been badly injured in a car accident. When the patient’s heart stopped, they brought out a defibrillator, which as you know, is a device that administers an electric shock to the heart in an attempt to restore the normal rhythm of the heart.

I immediately thought to myself, “I need one of those for my coaching practice!” Well, actually what I need is a defibillator, a device that will shock the client into giving up the little fibs they tell themselves that prevent them from making progress as fast as they should.

The sad truth of the matter is that what often stands between a person and what they want out of life are simply little white lies – fibs. They take a variety of forms, like “I’m just a natural born procrastinator” or “I’m just getting all my ducks in a row before really going for it.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

There is no such thing as a born procrastinator. If you don’t believe me, take a look at an infant. Infants don’t procrastinate. Infants sit up by themselves as soon as they are able to. They don’t spend an extra six months lying flat on their backs saying, “You know, as soon as the weather gets nicer, I’m going to start sitting up.” Likewise, infants walk as soon as they can. In fact, they’re in such a rush to walk that they start the process long before they have the strength to be able to fully support themselves.

The same thing is true about people who say they are getting all their ducks in a row. That’s a fib! It isn’t possible to get all of your ducks in a row if for no other reason than ducks are not that cooperative. Even if you manage to get a few ducks lined up, they will find a way to become scattered again by the time you round up the remaining stragglers. You see this time and again with people who are starting a business. They finally line up the money and personnel to start a business, but they decide to wait until they get all of the contract and paperwork together. Then, by the time that’s complete, guess what? That’s right! The money has all been spent and the personnel has all left to go work for some scattered duck competitor.

However, perhaps the single biggest area in which people fib to themselves is in the area of their health. Whether the person has a need to lose weight or quit smoking, the lie is always the same – it will be easier later. You hear it said all of the time. They say, “Oh, I know, I need to lose some weight but I can’t work on my weight right now because the holiday season is coming up.” Or they say, “Yes, the doctor said I should quit smoking, but now isn’t a good time considering the stress I’m under at work.”

These people need a defibillator. There is no easy time to lose weight or quit smoking. It’s always hard. After all, do you think that the bakeries only make sugar cookies during the holidays? Of course not. These so-called “goodies” are available all year round (which, coincidentally, is exactly what you’ll be – round – if you continually tell yourself this lie).

The same is true for smoking. Take it from someone who has quit this destructive habit; it’s never easy to quit. Never! Therefore, waiting for things to slow down at work isn’t going to help. In fact, waiting only makes it harder when you eventually decide to quit. For one, you’ll be dealing with an even strong addiction. Second, if you wait too long, you won’t have the physical strength to adequately deal with the withdrawal pains.

Interestingly, I think most people know this to be true. They know that they aren’t born procrastinators, that their ducks will never magically line up for them, and that there is no perfect time to start a diet or quit smoking. They are simply lying to themselves and are in need of an emergency defibillation.

In fact, most of us (including me) are in need of defibillation from time to time. It is at those times when it is so helpful to have a caring friend, mentor or coach who can provide the necessary “shock” to get us back in rhythm. After all, it’s about as difficult to defibillate yourself as it would be to defibrillate yourself. That’s why choosing good associates is as important as choosing a good doctor; both can provide much needed resuscitation for your dash.