How to move from deciding to doing?
So you can really accomplish anything you want?
Discover how to properly take action and become the master of your destiny!
Taking action to achieve all of your goals
Do you want to finally be able to take action?
So you can get the life that you truly want to live? The one that will truly fulfill you?
We always hear that this is what needs to be done for us to reach our dreams but… How do you properly take action?
First, let’s ask ourselves…
What does it even mean “taking action”?
It’s actually very self-explanatory: it’s to do something! 🙂
For example, if the plan is to write a book, the actions could be:
- Open a document Word on your computer
- Create an outline for all of the content of your book
- Write one chapter
- Do drawings that you want to include in your book
All of these actions are being taken in the aim of creating this book! 🙂
And let’s face it… This is the hardest!!
Because it may create some discomfort, doing something that we don’t usually do…
Why is it important to take actions?
It’s the hardest but at the same time, it’s the most important thing that you can do! Because by taking action, you are creating and doing what you really want out of life!!
If I consider the example of before, when you want to write a book, all the actions that you take will get you closer to the book itself! This is why taking action is THE WAY to get you wherever you want to be and go!
Why taking action is really hard?
The main reason is that we are afraid!
I think a lot about what Natalie Bacon is saying when she says that our brain is always trying to repeat things we did from the past because it kept us alive.
Like this, our brain can assure us that we will still be alive because what has been done in the past has kept us alive until now (obviously, if you read these lines!).
But you can choose something different, you can choose to create your life (and take action) from your future and not from your past.
Also, we are super afraid of the answer to this question: “What if it’s not going the way that I want it to go?”
What could be the possible results of the actions we take and what would be the consequences of it? From the example of writing a book, what can happen? Not to find a publisher? That nobody will read it…?
Reasons for inaction
Actually, we have really good reasons for not taking actions.
I like how Kyle Eschenroeder explains it in his guide: The Overthinker’s Guide for Taking Action: A Complete Guide:
As you can see, you can have tons of excuses not to take action! 🙂
Your main job is to find a way to not let them stop you, to not let your brain make this mean anything!
What’s really happening when we are taking actions?
This is really fascinating!
As you can see, when we are taking action, there are two results: or we’re getting the success wanted from this action, or we are getting feedback.
I think that the “success” part is self-explanatory, but what about the “feedback” part?
We can imagine that the opposite of success would be a failure, but it’s not. Feedback means that you got something that is telling you if yes or no, this action will bring you the results you’re expecting.
If you discover that it’s not getting you where you want to be and go, then you can try something else and at some point, you will get the results of that action! 🙂
How to properly take actions?
Now, I want you to know that to take action you can…
1. Just do it, as Mel Robbins says it.
She talks about her method, the 5 Second Rule, it’s amazing! Check it out! 🙂
2. Keep your end goal in mind.
Always know WHY you’re doing something. What goal are you trying to achieve? How achieving this goal will make you feel?
3. Picture yourself after.
I always say that the brain has no time, that it doesn’t know what day we are, what month… So you can really picture yourself after getting what you want or even right after taking that action, how does that make you feel? Where would you be?
4. Chuck into small goals.
Reaching for goals and taking action can be very overwhelming and the biggest risk would be not taking action at all…! So keep in mind what is your goal and make a list of all the actions that need to be taken.
Then, the moment you have that list, chuck it into small actions (small goals). Then, put it in your calendar: what action will you take on that day, etc.
Then, it looks less overwhelming and you can see yourself achieving each one of these actions! 🙂
5. Do not reach for perfection.
This used to stop me A LOT in the past… Nothing needs to be perfect to be good enough! 🙂
I mean, you can still reach your goal, even if you don’t do it perfectly! 😉
6. Don’t wait for the “right time”
We often think that there is a right time to start something, to take the next action.
The reality is that there is absolutely not! Right now is the right time, if you were looking for an answer to this question! 😉
7. Try not to overthink it.
Sometimes, overthinking your next action can stop you from doing it. Try not to imagine all that can happen and just do it!
Embrace the risk, the uncertainty, going out of your comfort zone and getting what you really want has a price, the question is, are you willing to pay? 🙂
8. Repeat taking action and you will less be afraid…
The more you take action, the less you will be afraid of the consequences, because you get used to this “feeling of risk”!
You even embrace this uncertainty because you know that it only makes you stronger and less afraid! 🙂
You’re only hoping for it!
I want you to realize something here.
Sometimes, we kind of want to take action, we are wanting to want it! You know?
We “hope” that we’re going to get there! We “hope” that we’ll feel like doing it!
But what if we would give up the “hope” part?
The thing is, you have to be committed to it. Hoping for it is just a cute thing you’re telling yourself to feel better about maybe not getting it, to protect yourself from not getting it or from failure!
You know how much I like empowering and inspiring questions so… Here, the best questions to ask you (and remember that asking yourself quality questions is essential to have a quality life!) are:
- How am I committed to this goal? How much?
- Why is it something that I really want for myself or for my life? How is it important to me to get it?
- How can I decide right here right now that I’m 100% committed to getting it, no matter what. I’m not hoping for it, I’m going for it and will take every action I need to until I get there.
- What emotions am I willing to feel to get there? Overwhelmed? Impatient? Dread? Insecure? Hesitant?
- What am I going to tell myself when it’s going to be hard? How can I support myself in those moments?
And then go for it!
Don’t dream for it or simply wish it for yourself.
Get to WORK!
How do you do that? You make a list of the things you have to do, all the actions.
Then, you put them in your calendar. And you get to work!
Taking actions is kind of a habit!
As I just said it, the more you take action, the less scared you become and the easier it will get!
It’s really kind of a habit to take! I want to insist on this, so you can understand that it won’t be as hard as it is the first time that you take action.
What I mean by that is that we all have a resistance to take action (because of the reasons enumerated up there), but when you have the habit of taking action, you don’t even ask yourself anything or stop yourself, you just do it! 🙂
The Taking Action Manifesto
My friend Jordan wrote an awesome article on how to take action in 3 very clear and practical parts.
Both of our information combined will complete all that you have to know when it comes to taking action! 🙂
Check it out here: The Taking Action Manifesto: How to Become a Fire-Starter!
What does it have to do with self-confidence?
I wrote a whole post about it! 🙂
Taking action will definitely help you on your journey to becoming more self-confident. Why?
No matter the result, if you take action, you are already proving to yourself that YOU CAN DO THIS.
It shows you that you can do something that you’ve been thinking of, and that you stopped feeling bad about yourself because you have all of these thoughts in your head such as “I want to do this, but I’m not sure, what would happen?” and so on…
And as you remember if you’ve read my other post about The Secret To Self-Confidence, having confidence in yourself means that no matter what, you will be okay. No matter how the situation is going, if you’re getting the result that you want or not, you will be okay!
Simply imagine yourself: think about something that you really want to do. Imagine that you’re doing it, how does that make you feel? Great? Accomplished? Even if you’re not done yet doing it and you don’t even see any results yet, the feeling is amazing no?
The problem is not only not taking the action, but it’s also really the feeling behind it: we feel bad about ourselves, for not even trying! This is lowering our self-esteem and it’s not a nice feeling at all! 🙁
We just want to feel proud of ourselves, right?
To sum up!
Taking action is necessary for you to get what you really want.
So, get organized, chunk into small tasks, remember your why and TAKE THAT ACTION! 🙂
It’s not easy at first, but you can get better at it and at some point, it will stop being something, you will just do it straight, nothing will stop you! 🙂
