The Art of Action

It has been wisely said that “An ounce of ACTION is worth a ton of
theory.” – Freidrich Engels. We all have a lot of great ideas, intentions,
and desires for our lives, homes, careers, and goals, yet often the real
challenge is taking ACTION on those great ideas. Today’s focus is on three
success tips that can help you get into action and get moving forward!

1. Identify Your Outcome. Being clear on the end result of what
we want and why we want it is a motivating force for us to take action and to
get started. By knowing why we are taking this action, we fuel our thoughts
and most importantly our emotions, to get into gear and move forward.
Whether your goal to increase your health and vitality so you’re choosing a
new workout plan or committing to run the Ragnar, by knowing the outcome
you’re after and connecting to the thoughts and feelings of that outcome, it
will make it easier to lace up those running shoes at 6 am versus hitting the
snooze button. When we are clear on the end result of that action we are
taking, it will help push us towards that result. If you’re not clear, take a
journal or a notebook and capture your key thoughts or desires of why you
do want to create positive change in the area of life you’re focusing on. By
writing it out, you will increase your clarity and your motivation for taking
action.

2. Chunk It Down. When a goal or action feels overwhelming –
which is often why action is procrastinated – it helps to put that goal into
smaller, bite size pieces. Rather than having to organize the entire garage
today or write that book in a day, commit to working on it for 15 – 30
minutes at a time. The important piece is to take action on your goals
–
not necessarily complete the goal all at once. Oftentimes we take ourselves
out of the action game when we focus on having to “do it all” right now.
When we allow ourselves to make progress on the goal, we increase our odds
of follow through. One strategy to implement would be to map out on a piece
of paper or white board, all of the moving parts and pieces of your project or
goal. Once it is in writing and identified in its various steps, it’s easier to
begin to take step one, then two and so on. Soon enough you’ve completed
all the steps and achieved your goal.

3. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. Oftentimes our own fears
get in our way of taking action: fear of failure, fear of change, fear of looking
stupid, etc. Many times our own internal critic can scare us out of taking
action on our goal. Realize that everyone, yes everyone, feels fear to some
degree or another when taking on a new goal or new change. It’s normal and
part of the change process. By knowing that this is normal and common,
choose to see the fear differently, perhaps as validation versus a stop sign.
Breathe through the fear, focus on your outcome, and take on small, realistic
steps towards your goals. Oftentimes fear masked as perfectionism – the
need for it to be perfect before you take action – can be driving the
procrastination we’re experiencing. It’s simply another way that fear can hold
us back. If you’re seeking more support on overcoming fear and taking
action, I recommend the book “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” by Susan
Jeffers. As you move forward in spite of the fear, you’ll likely experience that
by taking action you neutralize the fear that you’ve been feeling. Action is
often a great cure to the fears and doubts we experience.

Taking ACTION is doable and realistic when we utilize simple success
strategies like these to support us in moving forward.