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Ideas are worthless. Inventions have no power. Plans are nothing… unless they are followed with action. Do it now!
–Michael Angier, Founder of SuccessNet
(25203)
Momentum is a wonderful ally. If you wait for the perfect conditions, you’ll never get anywhere. It’s far better to take that first step, get things moving and then keep on pouring on more steam. If you have good momentum, many of the things that seem like problems will take care of themselves.
If you genuinely want to reach your full potential, you have to show initiative and get into action. Initiative is vital because:
It’s the first step in getting somewhere good.
Initiative can offset your fears.
Initiative always opens the doors to opportunity.
Initiative eases potential difficulties and dissolvers roadblocks.
In fact, in a great many cases, initiative is the difference between success and failure. Talent without initiative can never reach its fullest possible expression. There are really only four kinds of people in the world:
People who do the right thing without being told.
People who immediately do the right thing only when told to.
People who eventually do the right thing.
People who never do the right thing, no matter what.
Admittedly, all of us fall prey to procrastination at different times and seasons, but if you genuinely aspire to reach your full potential, you have to show personal initiative. To become better at this:
Accept responsibility for your life: because responsibility and initiative are inseparable. Everyone suffers setbacks, but it’s what you do after a setback that determines whether you will be a long-term success or failure.
Understand your reasons for hesitating to take the initiative: and see whether there is a specific issue that should be resolved first. Get everything out in the open and then work through it.
Focus on the benefits of completing your task: and use that as motivation to take the first step and then another.
Share your goals with friends: and get them to help you. No one ever achieves great success alone. Let others assist you in achieving your dreams.
Break large tasks down into manageable chunks: which you can then prioritize and get done. You may even be able to assign different tasks to different team members and get things done that way.
Allocate specific deadlines to tasks you might otherwise procrastinate on: and treat them like appointments you’re committed to.
Keep in mind that preparation includes actually getting around to doing: so don’t spend all your life preparing to be a success at some point in the future. Take the plunge. Get into action. Intentions are fine, but success requires initiative and action.
Safe living generally makes for regrets later on. We are all given talents and dreams. Sometimes the two don’t match. But more often than not, we compromise both before ever finding out. Later on, as successful as we might be, we find ourselves looking back longingly to that time when we might have chased our true dreams and our true talents for all they were worth. Don’t let yourself be pressured into thinking that your dreams and talents are not prudent. They were never meant to be prudent. They were meant to bring joy and fulfillment into your life.
–Richard Edler, Advertising Agency President
Death isn’t the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside of us while we live.
–Norman Cousins, Writer
It’s the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you’ve wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane.
–Charles Lindbergh
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