This is a Guest Post
“Hold on just a second! Goal setting and making plans is so important! Everybody knows that!”
You’re right, it is. It is absolutely essential to know where you’re going so that your daily efforts aren’t wasted on inconsequential activities.
But, plans and goals will get you absolutely nowhere by themselves. Nowhere.
Og Mandino said it best,
“Never has there been a map, however carefully executed to detail and scale, which carried its owner over even one inch of ground. Never has there been a parchment of law, however fair, which prevented one crime… Action, alone, is the tinder which ignites the map, the parchment, this scroll, my dreams, my plans, my goals, into a living force. Action is the food and drink which will nourish my success.”
Action is the food and drink which will nourish your success.
Say that out loud.
I get chills every time I read those words.
Powerful right? But, unfortunately, there’s always that voice of doubt that says. . .
“But I have to know what action to take before I take it. So, let me study, dust my desk, and organize my pens for the next year, while I learn what do to. Then I’ll act.”
This is a common excuse that comes from fear and it must be overcome before success even looks in your direction.
So, let’s destroy it, shall we?
First of all, the idea that you have to learn the entire picture of a particular subject before taking action is completely absurd because…
1. You won’t retain any of the information that you tried to learn in the process because your brain assimilates knowledge through its application, not just hearing or reading.
2. All knowledge is progressive, meaning that one principle builds on top of another. Therefore, one action builds on another and without carrying out the primary activities, understanding what to do at the end of the road is close to useless.
Don’t believe me? Here’s a test.
Do you remember what you learned in English class during your senior year of high school? Didn’t think so. That’s because you never had the chance or the structure to apply those concepts.
But, how easy is it for you to cook your favorite meal? How easy is it for you to tie your shoes? You can do it like clockwork.
That’s because you have applied that recipe or process repeatedly until it has been committed to your mental and physical memory.
So, in the process of learning, apply each chunk of knowledge that you learn as you learn it. This will not only help you retain that knowledge, but you will actually begin to make progress and build on the results of your actions almost immediately.
“But what if I make mistakes?”
If you’re asking yourself that question, here’s an encouraging fact.
Experience is the most valuable asset to the success of anybody in any field and the amount of experience a person has directly correlates to their success.
And experience is the direct result of action.
Not necessarily the “right” action, but action.
You see, if you take a wrong action action that doesn’t lead you closer to your goal, you’ll learn from the results (or lack thereof), and then adjust accordingly.
There is not one example in the history of mankind of somebody who was perfectly successful in his or her chosen endeavor right off the bat.
Making mistakes and adjustments is an essential part of progress in life and it precedes success. Not only that, you will continue to make mistakes and adjustments even when you’re at a place that you consider successful.
But, what happens when you take no action? You get no experience, no results, and no success.
Action is liberating
Have you ever had a project on your to-do-list that stayed there for months, even years? Then, one day, you just got it together and finished it. How did that feel?
I know that those instances of decisive action are some of the most freeing experiences I have ever had, even if the project itself was insignificant.
Imagine having those experiences on a daily basis!
There is a magic that comes from committing to action and carrying through.
Meet the parents of success
Didn’t know that success has parents? Well she does and you’re going to have to meet them before you’re introduced to her. No exceptions.
Think of it this way.
The father gives the seed of life that is then nourished and developed by the mother.
In the same way, a clear goal is the seed-giving father of your success, but it will never come to life without the nourishment and cultivation of the mother, action.
Please, don’t make success harder than it has to be.
Stop playing your mental fear games and take action today! Commit to one specific thing that you will move a certain area of your life forward!
Sound off!
What do you think? Share your valuable thoughts with us in the comments.
Best of life,
Abhay Khurana
This is supposed to be the place where I plug myself and my website. But, honestly, I just hope that you’ve gotten some value out of what I’ve written for you. If you have and want to connect with me and read more like this, head over to my blog at www.betteryoungentrepreneur.com
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