'How much is an idea worth, by itself?" the professor asked. Quiet quilted the room. The workshop had generated many questions and answers, but for now there was only silence. The professor swept the room with his eyes. "By itself, an idea is worthless," he finally volunteered. He went on, "Unless coupled with action, ideas don’t grow bigger than the brain cells that hatch them." Successful people understand it - the most observable and consistent behavior in successful people are not ideas, but action. Most ideas never make it simply because they are not acted upon, and then forgotten. The most powerful way we have to shape our lives and destinies is action. Taking action doesn’t always bring the desired outcome, but without it … What’s more, action is also a great anti-depressant. Fill your moments with action, and there will be little time left for worry. Once begun, action creates its own dynamic and often baffles expectations - likely including your own. Action creates momentum. You end up doing more than originally planned. When you get to work, so does the universe. Free yourself through action, rather than thought, and you might just find it awakens hidden powers that had been dormant. Action sometimes only comes at the price of overcoming doubts and fears, which can be a serious speed bump. If you have great ideas, but few tangible results to show for it, action orientation might be all you need.
Seven Steps To Build Action-Orientation And Habit
1. Do not think too much before you act. Put your goal in your mind foremost, and then act. Correct your actions as you go along, not before you start.
2. Begin whatever it is, now. Start with anything. Don’t think of big or small, think only of action. Give yourself permission to do only just one small part of the idea.
3. If there is still no action, you have not really decided. Go back to the beginning – your idea – and decide whether you are willing, truly, to do whatever it takes.
4. Do something every single day that moves you toward your goal. This is very important. An average plan consistently executed works better than a brilliant plan executed occasionally.
5. To know where to start, picture yourself at the beginning of a long trip across the country. The pursuit of an idea is much the same. Know your destination, and your starting point. Then determine the best way to get from here to there. Each day before you start out, locate yourself on the map relative to where you are and to where you plan to go.
6. Share your idea with three to five people. Does it touch, move and inspire others and specially yourself, when you read it aloud? If not, revise. You might have a weak objective or strategy. When I was in high school I made a decision to become a champion athlete. I realized that for this to happen I would need to train every single day, and not just once. I understood that I didn’t really want to be a champion athlete. Then I decided to travel the world for a year. I realized it would require major sacrifices, not briefly but for a long time. When I shared my idea with others, few people supported me. At times I felt like I was all alone. But I stuck with my decision … and ended up not only traveling the world, but for much longer than originally planned. When you know what’s truly important to you, take immediate action and never stop moving toward your goal.
7. Surround yourself with people who are also action-oriented. We tend to be the average of the five people we spend most of our time with. Accompanied, as it were, by action-oriented people, you’ll move in the direction of your dreams faster than before.
Relevant Resources & Sites
