How to Take Action in your Life

When we make a decision, there's normally some meaning behind it. No one decides to do something and then when asked why did you make that decision they say I don't know.

If you're someone that needs to lose weight, you make the decision to go to the gym or eat healthier. But it's following through on our decisions that we have trouble with.

The best example are our New Year's resolutions. At the end of the year we say we're going to quit smoking, start going to the gym, or finally clean out our closet, but we never do.

This is because it's hard to begin doing something new when you already have a set routine. Here are some ways to help you take action after you've made your decision.

Stay Focused

One of the biggest problems people have in taking action is getting started. We wake up and say that today I'm going to start my garden, and then we wind up getting distracted by how messy the living room is. next thing you know the living room is half cleaned and you're sitting on the couch watching Netflix.

Cut out distractions preventing you from getting started. It's a great way to gain momentum before you've even started your task. There's a great quote from Chris Schilling, "One average idea put into action is far more valuable than 20 genius ideas that are being saved." Your idea maybe a good one but it won't become a great one until it's put into action.

The Past Can Hurt

When you think about the past you begin to regret your previous actions. This can lead you into a bad state of overthinking what you might do next. The only way this helps is when you realize mistakes you've made in the past and then you learn from them so you don't make them in the future.

A good train of thought is to start now because if you don't you will keep looking at your past and not be happy with what you remember. If you start now in the future you will be able to look in the past and be happy with what you've done.

Start Doing

Work on becoming a doer. When you first get the idea that you want to do something, get up and start a task. That will lead you towards completing that idea. For example, if it's always been a dream of yours to write a novel, start doing research on what it takes to complete that goal.

That could be looking up online classes, YouTube tutorials, or maybe you just grab your laptop and start typing whatever is on your mind.

The more you wait the more likely you are to lose your will to attempt your goal and the more self-doubt will creep into your mind. "The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is mere tenacity" Amelia Earhart.

Keep Moving

Once you begin your task do not stop. This will help you build momentum on your idea and your productivity level will increase. Remember that one small task every day will add up and move you one step closer to achieving your goal.

Think of it as steps on a staircase. The floor is your idea, let's say you want to start a garden. The first step in the staircase maybe going out and buying gloves seeds soil and other materials needed for the job.

Next step may be to create a spot in your yard we're going to put everything. The third step could be to start planning the seeds. "It doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop" -Confucius.

Your Actions Help You Overcome Your Fears

Fear is one of the main reasons people do not follow through with their ideas. So, doing what you are afraid of maybe the remedy. Now, I'm not saying if you have a fear of heights you should go skydiving to get over that fear. There're probably smaller things you can do to get over that fear.

I'm talking about feeling like you're not good enough, public speaking, or being afraid to fail.If you have a problem with public speaking you should start by talking to people in smaller groups of three or four and then work your way up from there.

A lot of people believe that they're not good enough at something and that they will fail but it's impossible to know until you've tried. Start doing the little things that you're scared of and even if you don't do it completely on your first try you'll gain confidence from some of the steps that you've tried.

The Perfect Time Never Comes

There will be times when you wake up on a day you plan to do something and you just don't feel like doing it. That perfect moment you thought would be there in the morning is not there. This happens all the time but people will use this as a reason to not follow through with their plans.

If you wait for the perfect moment you will never get started. Something I say to get me going on days I don't feel like doing anything is " there's no time like the present." You can't go back in the past and fix something. If you wait for the future you will be waiting a long time.

Start doing whatever it is you want to do and make adjustments while you're working or after.

Overthinking is a Killer

As I'm writing this right now I am overthinking what I want to say. I don't let this stop me. Overthinking anything can lead to "paralysis by analysis." This means that you spent so much time thinking about what you want to do that you never started in the first place.

As people who want to get moving, it's impossible to move forward when you're overthinking a task. You become obsessed about a certain aspect, believe that something isn't perfect, or that you won't get it done within your time commitment.

The excuses begin to multiply the more you think about them. Begin working through your idea and then take it one step at a time.

Final Thoughts

Why does it seem so simple for others to take action while we sit on the sidelines? First, it may not be so simple for who you're watching to take action. They may have struggled with it for a while and now you're watching the end result of their hard work.

Their hard work probably included eliminating distractions so that they could focus on what they wanted to do. They took things one step at a time and stopped overthinking what they were doing.

Once they got started, they use the momentum they built to keep going. Whatever meaning there was behind their decisions, they used it to motivate them to take action and you can do the same.