The Power of Taking Action

THE POWER OF TAKING ACTION

It is not enough to have a dream or set a goal. Formulating a plan to achieve your dream or goal doesn’t magically make it happen. Every accomplishment in the world started as an idea. Someone had to be willing to do something to turn the idea into reality. That something is action! Without action, dreams or goals remain just that—dreams or goals. There’s no magic to this idea. The power of taking action can change the direction and outcome of your life.

Here’s a simple illustration that shows the power and results of taking action. At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. One extra degree makes all the difference. That extra degree does not come automatically. It has to be applied by turning on the heat. That extra degree corresponds to your action. The one extra degree of action in nearly every aspect of your life can turn a dream, goal, or idea into reality. It only takes one degree to make a difference. As straightforward as this may sound, action changes outcomes, and is up to you!

Prior to cancer, I was always waiting for the right time, the right moment, some sign, signal, or catalyst before I would get started. I would wish, hope, and pray for something to happen. My race with cancer showed me that the right time is now. The right time is always right in front of you. The power was (and still is) within me, as it is within you. You simply have to turn on your heat and take action.

Joyce Meyer, a Christian author and speaker, put the concept of action this way: “If you don’t want to have regrets later, then now is the time to take action, not tomorrow, not next year, not when you feel like it, not when it’s convenient—now is the time to take action.”

WHAT’S IN A WORD?

Action is defined as “The condition or state of doing something to achieve an aim or effect; process or state of acting or being active; something done or performed; act; deed.” Applying action leads to results. Action brings a goal to fruition, leads to solutions for a problem, and turns adversity around, resulting in more predictable successes. With action, everything you think, believe, and hope for can and will be accomplished. However, you must be willing to take action to move forward. It’s your choice!

Thomas Edison, who is credited with inventing the electric lightbulb, is a great example of the power of action. He was not the only person working on inventing the first affordable incandescent lightbulb for use in the home. However, he was the first to refine the lightbulb and make it available to the masses. This did not come without a lot of action. Edison was looking for the best filament for the lightbulb, something that was durable and inexpensive. He and his team tested more than six thousand materials before finding one that consistently worked—carbonized bamboo. Discovering the proper filament was essential to Edison’s success. The relentless effort he and his team made to find it is what counts. He could have easily stopped the search and declared enough was enough at any moment along the way. However, he didn’t! Action, his relentless effort, was the watchword that kept him going. Edison had an idea, applied action, and the rest is history!

THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING ACTION

Is action the watchword that keeps you going when times are tough or you’re looking for inspiration and motivation? Any successful journey you take in your life will start with action and end with action.

You’ve got to start somewhere and choosing to take action is the first step in any journey. You must move past thinking and start doing. This is the power of taking action. Taking action sounds easy enough, but take it from me, it’s easier said than done. You’ve got to have courage to take action, and there are plenty of distractions that will stand in your way.

Once you take action to reach a goal, solve a problem, or turn adversity into a positive, you just can’t stop the momentum. Like Edison, your actions must be consistent and persistent to achieve success. To make this happen, determine the single action you need to take every day to bring you one step closer to success. Apply this action every day, every week, every month without exception to achieve your objective. Be mindful that to be successful, you’ve got to apply action no matter how you feel physically, mentally, or emotionally: good, bad, or indifferent. There will certainly be times when you don’t want to take action, and these are the times that you must. You can achieve success in spite of your how badly you feel or the circumstances surrounding your life—if you take action!

Here’s something I’ve discovered that has been invaluable to me: Success in life generally requires some sort of change. If you want to lose weight, you’ve got to change the way you eat. If you want to become physically fit, you’ve got to start working out. If you want to be the best in your professional field, you’ve got to work hard to understand every aspect of the job. If you want to create better relationships with others, you’ve got to make this a priority and commit to making it happen. You can’t expect the desired outcome to simply fall into your lap without any effort. As Catherine Pulsifer says, “No action, no change. Limited action, limited change. Lots of action, change occurs.” Nothing will change without action. Tony Robbins reminds us, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

Success and change go hand in hand. Again, you’ve almost always got to change something in your life to experience success. Sometimes it’s only one thing, one thought, or one extra effort that makes the difference and gets you over the top. Action is the catalyst for the change that leads to success. You’ve got an inherent desire (need) to succeed. I believe it’s a part of our nature and in our DNA to be successful. Yet, not all of us reach the same level of success. Why is that? We are simply not all built the same way, and we certainly don’t all have the same life experiences when it comes to the concept of success. As a result, we don’t all look at the journey to success from the same viewpoint. We also don’t all have the same tools to overcome the obstacles that invariably get in the way of success. However, we can (all) develop and utilize the tools needed to reach success on our own terms. The formula is simple: action equals change equals success.

DISTRACTIONS CAN STALL YOUR EFFORTS

I don’t profess to be a psychologist, but my battle with cancer has taught me that we often surrender to distractions rather than take action. I had plenty of distractions during my cancer journey that could have easily derailed my road to recovery. Side effects were a common part of chemo from day one, and believe me I had my share. It wasn’t unusual for me to have an upset stomach, feel tired, and at times have no desire to do anything. These distractions could have slowed my recovery (desire to take action), except I didn’t let that happen. I chose to get busy physically and mentally (take action) in spite of how I felt. This wasn’t always possible, but it was certainly my mantra.

I experience distractions, like most of you, at some level every day, and I know from plenty of personal and professional experience that distractions can keep you from achieving your highest level of success. That’s why it pays to be aware of the distractions that most often affect you—in order to overcome them. Look for more thoughts on distractions in future blogs.

Distractions can become excuses and can ultimately take control over your ability or inability to be successful. In other words, complex distractions can limit your beliefs, sabotaging progress and ultimately your future. If you’ve used one or more of the excuses below, consciously or unconsciously, distractions have impacted your ability to succeed. Welcome to the crowd, I am right there with you!

• I can’t do that.
• I’m not smart enough.
• I don’t have the proper education.
• I don’t know the right person.
• I am not qualified.
• I am overqualified.
• I’m too young.
• I’m too old.
• I don’t have the time.
• I don’t have enough money

Look for more on distractions and how to overcome them in future blogs.

FOCUS YOUR ACTION FOR POSITIVE OUTCOMES

If you’ve been frustrated or discouraged by how hard it can seem to overcome distractions, you are not alone. I am certain many of you, like me, share in this frustration. If there’s power in action, there’s clarity, direction, and success in focus. It’s important to focus on what you are striving to achieve, NOT the distractions (excuses) that keep you from being successful. So many of us place too much attention and emphasis on the distractions and not on the best ways to focus and overcome distractions. Are you focused on your goal and the steps that lead you to success? Or are distractions receiving far too much attention?
Action can do a lot to make positive outcomes possible in your life. Action gets you started. Focus keeps you moving in a positive direction toward achievement. Focusing on a consistent basis is easier said than done because of the distractions we encounter every day. You must diligently work at focused action to achieve positive results.

Applying action is an important ingredient in making things happen in your life. Whether you are trying to achieve a goal or are faced with a problem, the most significant thing you can do is get busy by taking action. So many of you identify a goal, experience a problem or challenge, and then sit and wait for things to get better or change on their own. That was (often) my approach for years! The world doesn’t work that way. Only by making things happen can you realize change. Action is the way to change your situation and impact your outcome for the better! There’s no doubt that the power of taking action will help you live a more successful, fulfilled and joyful life.