Things are easier said than done. It is easy to say what we should do; actually doing it is an entirely different thing. I have ended many of the events I have conducted with the same words from Al Batt:
“It is easy to sit up and take notice; what is difficult is getting up and taking action.”
We normally know what we should do and many of us start the year with new goals. We know we should be more disciplined; we know we should do more exercise; we know in general what we have to do in order to achieve our objectives. How then can we close the gap between what we do and what we want?
While the answer is quite simple, it is far from easy. We need to take action. We need to take the first step towards what we most desire. If our goal is to lose 20 pounds, is it reasonable to stop eating and lose it in one month? While it is possible, it is neither healthy nor recommended. Those “few extra pounds” didn’t come from one day to the next. More than likely, they are the direct result from a couple of bites too many over the course of many years, combined with a lack of movement! The first step then is to stop eating so much and start moving. That seems easy enough. Not quite so easy when our body craves more food and aches when we exercise.
To begin any journey, we need to take the ever important first step. If taking a trip, we make a phone call to a travel agency. If our journey is to go to the gym, we put on our tennis shoes, grab our keys and walk out the door. Any objective can be reduced to a series of actions which will direct us to our goal.
On the other hand, it is possible this series of baby steps does not lead us to our objective. Curves and obstacles lurk around the corner blocking our path. Fundamentally, we must have a clear objective and a burning desire to persevere when trouble rears its ugly head.
Every profession or activity has a primary objective. A writer writes, a manager manages, a salesman sells and a doctor “doctors.” We often complicate things and deceive ourselves by completing a series of inconsequential activities in order to convince ourselves we are working towards our objective. The phrase “I’m just too busy!” has become part of our everyday lives. “Too busy doing what?” should be the question we constantly ask ourselves. It is critical to determine the essential elements required to achieve our goals and objectives. It is not activity as such, rather decisive and concrete action which makes the difference.
It is not what we know, rather what we do with what we know which is critical. If we ask anyone, “What do you need to do to be successful?” there is little doubt they can make an extensive list of what has to be done. Taking action to accomplish each of those items is another thing.
Those who get stuck in a rut are not necessarily “lazy.” Rather, they most often lack a burning desire which smolders within and the dedication to constantly do what must be done. Things are easier said than done; take action today to “get ‘er done!”
∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL II 20