Practice more action and less planning

Many people never get past paper planning of what they want to achieve in life. Their successes stay firmly rooted on paper and never see the light of day. If this has happened to you, be aware that you are not alone.

So why did you never reach your goals? Why didn't you have the energy to move past the planning stage? Successful people do more and plan less. They do not wait for the right moment to get going. We had a saying in the Army that was something like this"an 80% solution on time is better than a 100% solution too late."

Successful people don’t wait until the end of a recession to start their dream business. They don’t wait until the summer to start their swimming program. They don’t wait until they have a flawless resume before they start applying for jobs. They just do it.

So what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the perfect moment, or the right amount of inspiration. Do you need permission from someone else to become successful or are you waiting for your partners or family to reassure you?

Do you think a successful partnership will happen if somebody else changes, or do you wait for the right person to come along. Have you sat at home not wanting to start that small business because you were waiting for your kids to grow up?

Or maybe you are hoping the laws will change, or that somebody will spot your talent, head hunt you or notice your exceptional skills.

Maybe you are even waiting for somebody to pass on clear instructions or you are hoping as you get older that you will develop more self-confidence. And most probably you are waiting until everybody thinks you are great and nobody will laugh at your attempts at achieving your goals.

All of these points indicate fear of failure. Fear to take this new step. If you are frightened that you will not achieve your goal. You worry that people will criticize you. You carry around with you a number of limiting beliefs that prevent you from taking any action whatsoever.

No action means you will get nowhere and definitely will not reach your goal. Yet taking some form of action, even if a very tiny step could lead you to having the courage to take the next one.

You could find that the first step is a tiny success story on its own. Not only will this first step bring you some action with results even if small, it could mean that the momentum has started and the environment starts to support your efforts. It could also mean that you take courage and find it easier to take the next step. Take that first step. Make the first move.