Stop Saying What You Want To Do And Just Do It
We often go through life contemplating what we want to do. From the simple to the complex, we explore ideas in our heads, discuss with friends, and for some of us we even write out whole plans with the hope of following through on those plans. Most of the ideas start with, "one day I hope to...", "I wish I could", and my personal favorite, "If had X, I would do Y." the problem with approaching our goals and passions in this manner is that many of us often lack the follow-through to actually accomplish something.
Recently I had a discussion with a friend about starting her own business, the problem with our conversation is that it had occurred several times over the course of three years. What she did not realize is that she had wasted so much time wishing she could start her business and too little time creating her business. What is even more interesting is that she had positioned herself to actually begin her business by drafting a business plan, saving money, and getting morale support from family and friends, including her husband who had agreed to allow her to stop working and focus on starting her own business. This particular scenario sounds rather familiar to you or perhaps reflects the situation of someone you know; and in spite of having the idea situation to move forward in pursuing this passion we become crippled by fear, doubt, and anxiety and excuses begin to mound. Perhaps you are not the person who is trying to launch that business, but you may be the person who has procrastinated finishing school, losing weight, and getting more healthy, applying for a new job, getting out of a dead end relationship, or even something so simple as doing something fun that you always wanted to do.
If more time is devoted to actually doing something than talking and contemplating, we would actually fill more fulfilled, accomplish more, and we will slowly perfect the art of getting things done. In other words, the more you accomplish the more you will want to accomplish, simply because once an idea or plan or dream comes to reality, you develop the confidence and faith to accomplish more. I believe this same concept and idea is what creates wealth, personal peace and satisfaction, and most importantly promotes the feelings of fulfillment and of operating in purpose.
A few key elements are critical for getting things done: One, envision yourself doing that thing. What does it look like to you? How does it feel? This is where you spend time in prayer, meditation, and connecting what you desire to your spiritual self. Two, develop a clear path and plan for how you will get it done. This is the point in which you begin to put things in place that will allow you to accomplish your goal. For example, crafting out time for your work out routine; drafting a business plan; or researching what schools or academic institutions offer the program that you want.
Three, develop a support network. One of the biggest proponents of failure is negative people and negative thoughts. In short spend less time thinking about how what desire can't happen and more time believing it can happen. Further, be careful of your surroundings. Oftentimes, the same people who haven't accomplished much or themselves struggle with follow-through are the same ones who will offer little positive support and encouragement in you seeing your goal through. These same people remind you of your deficiencies and weaknesses and in offering their opinion either want to provide "their devil's advocate" perspective or share an alternative to how they would do it if it were them. Instead of telling the world of your dreams, ideas, or goals, guard them, and share with those who have been proven to be critical friends, mentors, and confidants who can aid you in accomplishing that what you have set in your mind. In reality, you are ultimately responsible for your own success or failures in whatever you do, so stop saying what you want to do and just do it!