Don't Hold
Back
Don't hold back! Have you
ever had a terrific idea which you didn't act on? Of course
you have. I don't mean anything fancy either. Nothing earth-shattering.
Just a plain old-fashioned good idea which would have made
you more money. But you didn't get moving on it.
Oh well.
I have a friend I'll call
James. James is an independent management consultant and a
deep, creative thinker. I have great respect for his abilities
to understand his clients and develop unique solutions for
them. But he isn't very successful. His business is ok, but
hardly booming--and certainly not where he says he'd like
it to be. He works with interesting people--just never enough
of them. And aside from soliciting referrals, he does nothing
to increase his overall practice.
The funny thing is, this guy
has more brilliant ideas about how to build his business than
anyone I know. The problem is he doesn't implement any of
them. James is just one of those people who stops before he
ever gets started.
So much for James. What about
you?
Do you have more ideas than
action steps? Why don't you just get going?
I encounter this issue often
with people who have tons of great ideas about what to do
next, that never get implemented. And they want to know why.
Have you thought about what
stops you from acting on ideas or programs which could bring
rich rewards?
I have, and I think there
are several simple reasons.
Don't hold back
1. Lack of an inspiring, motivating
purpose
Why should we do anything?
Why indeed! That missing why is called purpose. Without a
strong purpose the urgent things take over. The ringing telephone
takes over. "You've Got Mail" takes over. The knock
at the door takes over. Inertia takes over.
In physics we learn that it
takes additional energy to break free of inertia. A powerful
purpose adds that energy. Energy that organizes your actions,
and brings the important things to the fore. To break free
of the inertia of your current routine, you need an inspiring
purpose.
2. No clear vision
Imagine yourself at a six-way
intersection in a fog so thick you can't see a single landmark.
You can't even read the road signs. Which way will you go?
If you do pick a direction, will you be confident about setting
out, or will you proceed slowly, hoping for the fog to clear
a bit before you pick up the pace?
Everybody wants to go somewhere--at
least everybody in business does. But without a clear vision
you can't see where you want to go. And if you don't see it,
you won't proceed aggressively and confidently on a course
toward it-- whatever it is--will you? So even if you craft
a plan--to take you...somewhere, you aren't likely to execute
it. At least not anytime soon.
3. Not willing to make sacrifices
or do the work
You already have more than
enough to do, and whatever else you take on means something
has to be set aside. Sacrifice means giving up something of
value for something of even greater value. Which means there
is something more valuable to sacrifice for. And you haven't
clarified what that 'something' is. Or maybe you aren't sure
that it is worth it.
In this same category I put:
giving up free time, relaxation time, play time, or whatever.
But it always comes down to sacrifice, and the big question
is, is it worth it. (By the way, I plead guilty to this one.
There are times when I feel I have something important to
accomplish, I just don't feel it's important enough to get
off the couch for. What gets me moving is reciting the litany
of purpose: "Why did I feel it was important? And what
will happen because of that? And why is THAT important? And
so on.)
If you are certain something
will work, there is no risk and you will likely take action.
On the other hand, if you are uncertain--and most things are
uncertain to some degree--you wonder if it the risk is worth
it.
So what do you believe? Do
you believe your actions will pay off or not? If you aren't
sure, how much effort will you put into it? Will you hesitate?
Postpone? Procrastinate? Go at half-speed?
Or maybe 'it' will work, in
someone's hands, but you don't believe it will work in yours.
In other words, you lack of confidence that you can get it
done, and the risk is too great.
Each of these issues can be
addressed by having a powerful purpose--and an inspiring set
goals to achieve. When these are strong enough, they make
the potential reward that much bigger and alter the risk-reward
ratio in favor of action.
5. Fear
Sometimes it comes down to
fear. You have a vision and a purpose, and you think the risks
are acceptable. But what if it doesn't work out. Then what?
That's fear. It won't work out the way you want it to. What
will you be left with then? Or even worse, not only will it
not work out, but something bad will come as a result of it.
6. Everything else
You just have other things
to do. Like what? Like the day- to-day stuff of running your
business or doing your job. You can't just keep piling it
on, can you? No, you can't. The question is, are the things
you are already doing all worth while? Should some of it be
delegated? Should some of it be dumped, or put on the back
burner?
Once again, you must weight
what you are already doing against your purpose and goals.
If your existing action set is effectively driving you towards
your goals, there's no need to do more. But if you aren't
moving sure-footedly in that direction, then you need to shift
things around and make room for what will.
You may have to realign your
priorities, and reevaluate your options so that your available
time and energy is dedicated to moving you in the right direction.
What about you? Don't hold
back. What stops you? Any one of these six things can hold
you back, or it may be a combination of things. Once you identify
what stops you, it is much easier to address and get moving.
Now you can transform your ideas into an action plan.
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