Taking Action

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do." ~ Goethe

Isaac Newton created three laws of motion. They are quite brilliant. Each one of them supposes there has been some action, action being the key. In this article, we'll be taking a look at this action to see why it is so important, and how taking action is the key to getting started.

It's not only important, it is critical, because unless some action occurs, nothing happens. The ever-brilliant Einstein concurs. "Nothing happens until something moves."

You may not be an avid fan of physics but you surely do have a personal life, eh? The laws apply to each equally, so let's see how.

In your life, nothing happens until you move. If you stay in bed all day, you can see how that would be accurate, right? If you sit in a lounge chair all evening, nothing gets done around the house. And let's take a look at the concept of "trying." If you "try" to get something done, or you actually take steps toward getting it done, which one moves you closer to completion? "Trying" is a form of inertia - non-action. I'd recommend listening for those times you say "I try..." and change it to some form of action!

I am a maker of To-Do lists. I love days filled with taking my planned-out Action Steps. So it's a little bit difficult for me to consider folks who have a habit of not taking their own Action Steps, but I'm going to give you a list of points that I think might help you to get unstuck and moving if you're one of them.

When you are not in the habit of taking Action Steps, create a list of the Big Three Steps Toward Accomplishment. No more than three or you'll overwhelm yourself. Surly just three can't overwhelm you, okay?

Look at the first of the Big Three, and think of three smaller steps you can take to accomplish just this one. Write them down.

If even those three seem overwhelming, break the three smaller steps down even further - three for each.
Create a Due Date for each of the smaller steps and then
Create a Schedule Plan for accomplishment. For example: I will create my complete Action Plan (the Big Three Steps and their sub-steps) by this Friday before I go dancing with my friends. I will set aside ½ hour before dinner each night this week and only think about and write about my plan so that I will be done by Friday evening at 7 pm.
Be specific when you plan for action. It's very easy to generally say "I'm going to get more productive." But if you say "I'm going to take one action step each day before I go to work. I'm going to check off my action steps before I go to lunch daily, and I'm going to assemble the materials to do tomorrow's action steps before I go to bed tonight," you can see how being this specific will move you forward more productively and hold you more accountable.

If you haven't established the habit of taking action steps, don't let yourself become discouraged if you slip off the path occasionally. For example, if you've eaten a meal not on your diet plan, think like this: "Well, I ate too much for dinner today. That is just one meal in the twenty one allotted for the week. I can resolve to eat the other twenty by staying on the plan and feel successful over the 21 vs. discouraged because of the one." As they say in the horse world "If you fall off, get right back up again immediately." And please be aware, it's okay to have the occasional do-nothing day to rest, re-invigorate, and return more ready.

Part of the physics law of inertia is "A body in motion tends to remain in motion". Isn't that good news? Keep yourself taking your Action Steps. You'll be astonished to look back over your shoulder over the past few weeks and see just how much you've accomplished.