In life, you are rewarded for what you do, not what you don’t do. Winners take action whereas losers have a habit of procrastinating. Successful people get up and do what has to be done. So if you want to achieve your goals you need to take action and stop procrastinating.
Failure is a key part of success
A common error many people make is they get stuck analysing, planning and organising rather than taking action. Perhaps it’s a fear of failure that makes people not take any action and keep procrastinating? They plan, plan and plan some more! But at some point, if you want to achieve your goals, you need to stop planning and take action.
No one ever became great except through many great mistakes.
– William Gladstone
You must realise that failure is an important part of the learning process. Transform the word FAIL into ‘First Attempt In Learning’. Accept you learn by trial and error. You need to embrace failure and be willing, if not eager, to accept failure.
You must never be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are your opportunities to learn something new. You can never learn less, you can only learn more.
How you do anything is how you do everything
If you have a habit of being cautious at home then you are probably cautious at work. If you hold yourself back for fear of looking foolish when you are with friends, then you will probably hold yourself back for fear of looking foolish everywhere.
You need to identify these types of behaviour and push through them. You need to let go and just take action. Remember you will stay stuck in the same place until you take action.
Transform planning into action
Once you have developed your plan, get going. Even if you don’t start perfectly you can learn from your mistakes and make the necessary corrections to keep taking action.
You can’t cross the sea by staring at the water.
-R. Tagore (Nobel Laureate)
When you take action, a cascade of consequences will happen that will carry you towards achieving your goals:
- you tell people you are serious
- people start paying attention to you
- people with similar goals become aware of you
- you learn things from the experience that cannot be learnt theoretically
- people give you feedback on how to improve your performance
- you become more efficient and quicker
- tasks become easier that were once difficult
- you attract other people who will support and encourage you.
So remember, after you have: (1) designed your goals, (2) broken down your goals into achievable and realistic steps, (3) imagined what achieving your goals looks like and (4) chosen to believe in yourself – it’s time to take action.
If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it.
– Jonathan Winters (Comedian)
Successful people who achieve their goals have a low threshold for planning. They are keen to get going and want to get started. They know that planning is important but they keep it in perspective.
You don’t need to plan your whole journey
People who don’t achieve their goals wait until they have planned the whole journey before the start to take any action. You need to be willing to take the first step without seeing the whole path ahead of you. All you need to know is (1) what your destination looks like and (2) what your first step is.
Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.
– Martin Luther King Jr.
You must be willing to take the first step and see how the journey develops. If you can’t see how (1) you’re going to achieve your goal, or (2) you’re afraid to start, or (3) you’re afraid to commit yourself because your path is unclear, then – just take your first step and explore the unknown, trusting your unconscious mind will make the next step and your path clear to your conscious mind in due course. Simply start your journey then take, what your unconscious mind feels like are, the logical next steps and you will eventually arrive at your planned destination or somewhere even better!
A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.
– Ancient Chinese Proverb
When you arrive at a dead-end, take a different route. Sometimes you won’t be able to move forwards but you can always turn right or left. The key thing is to keep moving. Sometimes your path meanders from left to right, zigzagging along the way. That is OK because the joy is in the moment of each step of the journey, not in getting to your destination in the quickest time possible. Sometimes when we forget to look down at the path we miss all the pleasures along the way. Remember, if you get lost, tell yourself “I am just exploring!”
Don’t wait for the perfect time to start
You must avoid waiting for the perfect time to start because there is no such thing as the perfect time to do anything. How many times have you told yourself ” I will start my diet tomorrow” or said, “this will definitely be my last cigarette”?
The most important lesson to learn is: just get started. Once you start you will receive feedback to help you improve your performance and achieve your goals. When you start taking action, learning will take place at a very rapid rate.
Build your momentum and keep going
You need to keep building momentum until you finally produce the results you set out to achieve. Make yourself open to new possibilities and be willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals. Avoid sitting around deliberating, reflecting, and contemplating. None of these creates achievement.
Once you have made a start, you now have the opportunity to create some momentum. Momentum is the unseen energy that brings you more opportunities, more resources and more people who can help you achieve your goals.
There are many ways to achieve your goals if you know what you are really aiming for. Examine beneath your goals to determine your deeper motivation. When you have determined your real motivation you will find it easier to follow your path to achieving your goals.
Sometimes it will feel like you’re driving through thick fog where it is only possible to see a few metres of the road ahead. But if you keep moving, more of the road will appear, the fog will clear, your opportunities will become clearer and you will eventually arrive at your destination.
Get a degree from the university of life
Some of the most important things can only be learnt by taking action. You must be willing to do something so you can evaluate your performance about what worked and what didn’t.
If you don’t do anything for fear of doing it wrong you will never be able to get any feedback and never be able to learn and improve.
You need to be willing to take risks and action. Start from wherever you are and take the necessary actions to achieve your goals.
How can hypnotherapy help me take action and stop procrastinating?
Hypnotherapy can help you believe in yourself and have the confidence to take the first step towards achieving your goal. Low self-confidence can make it feel too daunting to even take the first step for fear of failing. Hypnotherapy can improve your motivation and confidence so that you can take that first step along the path.
Your negative thoughts are all based on your life experiences leading up to today. Your negative thoughts also contribute to your limiting beliefs about what you think is possible and what’s not. Hypnotherapy can help you practice positive thinking and believe the impossible is possible.
Hypnosis can help you wipe away the graffiti on your walls and erase your limiting beliefs so you really believe in what you are asking for, so it can become your reality. If you would like any help taking action and stop procrastinating, please get in touch for a free consultation.