Move From Deciding, To Doing. When you decide to do something, it doesn’t actually mean you will do it. So how do you get yourself from a place of intention into action? Here are three tips to light a fire under you.

 

photo: Pedro da Silva

Stop Making Excuses

We often come up with a lot of great ideas and plans, but then immediately put the brakes on because we think it’s not the “right” time. For example, you may want to commit to living an all around healthier lifestyle, but you say to yourself, “ Well I have a vacation coming up.”, or “ I’ll start walking when the weather gets better.”. There’s always a reason to keep pushing out your start date. Then what happens? More excuses and more special occasions. If you keep waiting for the “perfect time”, it may never happen. All of the sudden it’s bathing suit season and you say, “I should have started my healthy lifestyle 6 months ago.” Frankly, there is no time like the present. Conditions will never be perfect. Start making healthier choices today, eat a vegetable, put on a raincoat. Just Start.

 

photo: Scott Webb

Spring Into Action And Stay There

Do you have some friends who say, “We should really take a road trip.”, and then other friends who say, “Let’s take a road trip.” and they literally get up and start making it happen? There is nothing like creating a habit of getting into action.  How do you do this? By actually doing what you say you will do. Take the words, “I will try” out of your vocabulary. Do you have a great idea for a business? Take out your your laptop right now and secure the name. Have you been meaning to take a dance class? Call up the studio right now and book it! Once you spring into action, stay there. Make sure you keep ticking off action items related to your goal on a daily basis. You have to get out of the mindset that you need big chunks of time. Twenty minutes a day, adds up to over two hours a week which is more than zero. “ You’ve probably heard Lao Tzu’s quote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

 

photo: Chris Adamus

Just Say No to Distractions

In today’s world It’s hard to stay focused. Our phones and laptops are buzzing, chiming and pinging us with distractions non-stop. In order to make progress and bring your ideas to life, you must find the time to focus. Start making a habit of blocking out your time for specific tasks. If you have to be on your laptop to write, turn off all notifications and put your phone in another room. If you have a meeting, put together an agenda. It’s easy to get off topic. Technology aside, we also fall victim to our minds. We ask ourselves, “Is my idea good enough?, Unique enough?, Am I worthy of success?” The bottom line is that any idea that is put into action is better than 1000 mind-blowing ideas that never see the light of day. At the beginning of every week, make it a habit to review your schedule, set your goals and block out time for targeted action. You’ll be amazed, when you look back a few months down the road and see how much you’ve accomplished.

Get into action today!

#shineonandglow