I’ve spoken before about taking action: Action is the only thing that produces results. And all action produces results. The results may not be the results you wanted or the results you intended but they are the results you produced. It’s what happens next that makes all the difference.
If your actions are not producing results, you need to look at the actions. Was it the right action done in a way that did not produce the intended result? Was it the wrong action? If we stop and learn from our effective AND ineffective results, we can improve our efficiency and effectiveness.
It starts with an intention – what are you out to produce? The core of everything I coach is: operate from your Key Difference™. What are you out to produce in service of your Key Difference™ to forward your goals and plans. Once you know where you’re aiming, start to look at what actions can you take to fulfill that goal. There may be, and probably are, thousands if not millions of options to choose from. Don’t get caught up in all the possibilities, just pick one. You can always try something else another time.
I’ve heard so many people say, “I’ve tried that. It didn’t work.” Sometimes the environment, intention, actions may look the same but the person you are today, with the intentions, goals and dreams is not the same person who tried that before. You may take similar actions but you can’t take the same actions. What did you learn from the first time “it didn’t work” that you can tweak, adjust or redesign? If you go in believing it won’t work, don’t waste your time. Shift your thinking.
After you’ve chosen your course of action, locate your intention and tactics and get to work. You may need to plan, organize, gather resources, ask for assistance or something else but getting those things done gets the ball rolling. That is ACTION.
Then, don’t stop. Adjust and modify your actions, your mindset, and never take your eye off the prize. In his book, “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill talks about the never ending focus to achieve one’s dream. And, he says, you can’t do it alone.
Find people to support you and your goals and intentions. Make specific requests for what you need. And remember the sage words of Mahatma Gandhi: “You will never know what will come of your actions. But without actions, there will be no results.”