I often talk about the importance of taking action toward achieving your goals. Author, Joel A. Barker states: “Vision without action is merely a dream.”
So why are so many people in action and yet, still not achieving their dreams? Because not all action is equal.
Think about it: You have a deadline looming. You can feel the stress building, and yet you just can’t muster the discipline to act.
Your solution? You take action but it’s not “Right Action”. You move into a frenetic state of denial. You busy yourself with a lot of activity, but it is not the kind of activity that will help you achieve your goal. You end up squandering away your valuable time and put off important tasks you should be doing, until it’s too late. And then, you panic and try to make up for lost time by doing a half-a$$ job of it.
Most people know what constitutes the generic term Action: “The accomplishment of something over a period of time.” Few people know what constitutes the specific term: “Right Action”.
“Right Action” must meet four criteria:
- Is specific and purposeful
- Moves you closer and faster to your goal
- Reflects your character, discipline, and commitment
- Creates measurable results
Here’s an exercise you can do to help you hone this practice. Grab your journal and a pen and get started!
First, identify a current goal you have for either your career, health, relationships, or creative expression.
Next ask yourself, what are the top three action steps that are necessary to turn your goal into reality? Write these steps down.
For each step, define the following:
Is it specific and purposeful?
Does it move you closer and faster to your goal?
Does this step reflect your character, discipline and commitment?
Does it create measurable results?
It’s easy to stay busy, preoccupied, and frenetic with your actions. This is very common for those who are not reaching the level of high achievement they desire. When you turn ordinary action into “Right Action” your vision will move from dream to reality, and you will create Outrageous Achievement.