Take action.
It’s so cliché. We hear it all the time till our ears bleed. It’s great advice, sound in theory, yet rarely applied in reality.
For one reason or another, people can’t seem to cross the bridge from knowledge to action toward their goals. They read, read, read, but never take action. This article is for those who can’t take action. They just can’t. So I want to provide an easy step by step solution that will help bridge the gaps between inaction and action.
It seems like the first gap is one of perfection.
Gap #1: Perfection
Perfection of circumstances, perfection of timing, perfection of that moment in our lives we wait for, in which we tell ourselves, when that time comes, then we will start. We’re great at giving excuses for that. When I get that raise, when I pay off my debt, when things settle down, and as a result, nothing ever gets done. Ever. Why?
Because the perfect tomorrow that contains the perfect circumstances you seek in order for you to get started does NOT exist.
There will always be something that will have to be done before you tell yourself that you’ll get started.
Realize there will always be another hill to climb, another factor that needs to be fulfilled, another objective that has to be met. You’re chasing your tail with that type of mentality.
I’m not telling you to drop everything and pursue your goal. All I’m saying is start. Do one thing.
What’s closely correlated with this type of attitude is that you’re probably thinking along the lines of this:
When the perfect situation arises, THEN I can achieve my goal perfectly.
But this presents another problem. You want to get your hands on all the knowledge you can, so you can get it perfect the first time, so this leads you on an endless quest of knowledge, which puts you off starting even further.
Give yourself permission to be imperfect.
Let me save you some trouble. You’ll usually get it wrong the first time. You’ll get it wrong. And here’s the beautiful part.
You don’t have to get it right in the beginning.
You don’t.
What’s more important is that you start, because starting will pave the way for you to get it right.
Trying to avoid the pain of getting it wrong the first time tends to stop us from taking action and what I’m saying is that you WILL get it wrong the first time. But that’s ok. Because you don’t have to get it right.
Nobody gets it right the first time.
Very few people learned how to perfectly ride a bike the first time. The important thing was that they got started. A couple of scraped knees and elbows later, riding a bike became second nature.
Nobody drives perfect the first time. Ever seen a baby walk normal the first time? Who plays a flawless 6-0 game in tennis the first time?
Starting shows you the areas you need to focus on to get it right.
And you start by telling yourself in the beginning that you don’t have to get it right.
Gap #2: Too Much To Do.
We get overwhelmed because we picture all the things we need to do. This is where we have to stop looking at the entire forest and step forward to look at the individual trees.
Start by focusing on doing one thing at a time among a small group of things to do.
In other words, list everything you need to do, transfer five items from that list, and start focusing on doing the first thing on that list.
If you don’t transfer the five items and try to start on the first item on that list, you’ll still feel overwhelmed because you see ALL the things you have to do. You have to take a small portion of that list and create a new list to give you the illusion of having a smaller set of things to do.
Focus on one thing at a time and ask yourself what you have to do to start on it. In other words, what is the next action you must take to get started on that item?
It shouldn’t be too overwhelming then.
Gap # 3: Just Don’t Feel Like It.
There are days where you just don’t feel like it. You’re in a rut, have low energy, just feel blah.
Watch your calorie inktake. If it’s too low, you won’t have the energy to do anything and you’ll feel like doing absolutely nothing.
Exercise. Clean the house. Take a walk. Get off your butt and do something physical to get your heart pumping and your blood moving.
With your new burst of energy, start tackling what you need to do, one thing at a time.
Ultimately, when people hear the phrase “take action”, it’s seems to create images of doing a whole bunch of things over a long period of time. Instead of taking action, I say get in the habit of starting.
Starting implies a shorter amount of work.
Starting creates the image of an explosive catalyst.
Starting gives you permission to be imperfect.
Starting focuses in on a small number of tasks.
Take advantage of Newton’s first law of motion. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion.
If you’re stuck, it’s because you’re thinking of all that action you have to take.
You don’t have to get it right in the beginning.
Focus on one thing at a time.
Make sure you have the energy to start.
Then, just start.
It will naturally morph into “taking action”.
