Principle 13 of Jack Canfield's Success Principles is an awesome one: Take Action. I found there were really three key concepts in this chapter: talk is cheap, nothing happens until you take action and fail forward.
Talk is cheap: I, myself, would call this "getting past planning." Canfield explains that so many of us can get caught up in the organizing, analyzing, strategizing, planning that we never get into action. Of course, he's not talking about any of us, right? hehe. I see this as a coach all the time and yes, I see it in the mirror. When you're embarking on something new, particularly something life-changing and dream-building, it often feels so much safer to spend time with the lists and the plans and hope that nobody (including yourself) notices that in fact you are hiding there. Eventually, you have to come out and play. Well, if you really want something to happen, that is.
Nothing happens until you take action: I'm going to rename this one too. I would call it magic happens when you move. When you actually take a step towards your dreams, things and people start to shift around you. Opportunities show up. Connections get made. Magic happens. When you're standing in the wings, with your head still buried in the script, the universe doesn't actually know that you're ready. She thinks you're still preparing. So step out onto the stage and let the show begin!
Fail Forward: Okay, are you already hating the word "fail"? Is it sending you back to the books? In order to become successful at what you want to do, you must be willing to fail, or as my Nia trainer said, "You've got to be willing to suck." To really become great at something, you have to do it. I love the example Jack uses to illustrate this, "The quickest way to hit a target is to fire, see where the bullet landed, and then adjust your aim accordingly." (Okay, I'd change the bullet to an arrow too because gun imagery does not work for me - but I thought the point was key).
What's something that you've been planning but haven't yet taken action on? How about doing it this week and sharing your story with us? How did it feel to go from planning to doing? Did things start to shift? Did you fail gloriously and learn? Did magic happen? If you write it up on your blog, I'll post links to it with next week's Success Principle post.
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