Take Action

Jack Canfield's Success Principle #13

Jack points out in today's lesson that good things begin to flow our way as soon as we take action.

(1) Remember that talk is cheap.
Most people talk about the things they want to do in life, but they never get around to starting. Winners, on the other hand, take action. Once again, Jack hammers home the points from previous chapters:

-Create a vision;
-Set goals;
-Break your goals into small, measurable steps;
-Deal with obstacles that will inevitably come along;
-Visualize your success with positive affirmations; and
-Believe in yourself

(2) Realize that nothing happens until you take action.
Jack held up a $100 bill at a conference and asked the audience who would like to have it. People raised their hands, shouted, and jumped up and down. Jack just stood there, holding the bill. Finally, a woman raced from her seat and snatched it out of his hand. He made the point that you've got to get up and take action if you want to see results.

(3) Pursue your dream like an Olympian.
Ruben Gonzalez was a young man who wanted to compete in the Olympics, but he had never been trained in any sport. He did know that he had one thing going for him: he enjoyed persevering when the going got tough. In spite of his age, lack of training, and limited connections, he picked up the phone one day to get the ball rolling. The training was grueling. He broke bones, and every other man on the team quit during the first year. But not Ruben. He went on to win the Olympics three times in the luge.

We must make up our minds to be like Ruben Gonzalez if we want to achieve our goals. Success takes perseverence and the willingness to fail repeatedly along the way.

(4) Develop a bias for action.
Jack asserts that winners have a bias for action. They can't stand to sit still if they can do something.

If two people are given a task, and one of them sits down to write lengthy action plans while the one biased for action gets on the phone; he will inevitably make it to his goal more quickly. It takes action to make our dreams a reality.

(5) Ready, fire, aim!
Most people are familiar with the phrase, Ready, Aim, Fire! Jack advocates getting ready, firing off a round, and then correcting our aim if we miss the target.

I found myself following this advice a few years ago when I was asked to write a biography. The deadline was only 42 days away, I had to interview the evangelist I was writing about, and I had to incorporate old material from a previous book. It was a daunting task, but I figured God would help me pull it off.

I had never interviewed anyone in my life, but I acted as if I knew what I was doing. I wrote 12-14 hours a day, and on day 42, I delivered the manuscript to the printer. Joe and I drove 300 copies of the book to a seminar two weeks later, where this evangelist was speaking. I was amazed what God was able to do through me, just because I was willing to get ready, fire, and aim.

(6) Do it now!
Putting off what we need to do will never bring about results. Jack calls us to take action today.

Sylvester Stallone watched the heavyweight boxing championship on TV and was inspired to write Rocky. He turned off the TV, grabbed a pencil, and completed the entire script in three days.

When inspiration strikes us, we must take action. If we set aside our excuses and our fears, God will provide us with far more opportunities than if we put off for tomorrow what we should have done today.

(7) Give me a break!
A man was desperate for money, so he prayed, "Oh, Lord, give me a break! Let me win the lottery." Nothing happened, so he knelt beside his bed to pray, "Give me a break! I'm desperate. Let me win the lottery." Still, nothing happened. Finally, he went to the church and knelt before the altar. He cried out, "Give me a break! Let me win the lottery." A bright light shone all around him, and a voice from heaven boomed out, "Give me a break! Buy a lottery ticket."

The point of this joke is to show us that God often waits for us take action before he answers our prayers. Proverbs 3:5 tells us, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

We don't have to understand God's plans completely in order to take action. All we have to do is trust that he has great things in store for us. If he gives us a dream, he'll make it come true if we boldly step out in faith to do our part.

(8) Fail forward.
Most people do nothing, because they are afraid of failure. We are all going to make mistakes as we go along, so Jack encourages us to look at our failures as opportunities to learn something new.

Joe and I were talking about this concept yesterday. Both of our first marriages ended in divorce, and we'd like to help others in the same situation to feel better afterward. I pointed out that we can't look at our first marriages as failures; they provided us with opportunities to grow so that we could be better spouses the second time around.

Regarding our goals, Jack encourages us to:

-Get started;
-Make mistakes;
-Listen to feedback; and
-Correct our mistakes as we go along.

Today's Challenge
Choose to take action on one of your goals today. Pick up the phone, arrange a meeting, ask for help, send out a letter, write an email. Do something to set the universe in motion as you press on toward your goal.