Vision, Plan….Action!
Visions, like objects in the distance, become clearer as we move toward them.
– Author unknown
You made a choice to improve your life in some specific way. You crystallized your vision of the life you want to live. After evaluating your current situation, you designed a “Success Plan” to guide you to your dreams. Now you are ready for Step Five. It is time for action! What is the number one task on your priority list? Do it. Take the first step toward making it happen. Then take the next step and the next. Work your way down your list.
Keep your focus on the TOP of the page. These are your first priorities, until they are completed or bumped down the list. Begin each day with a list of three top priority tasks and two high priority tasks. Be sure these top five tasks are addressed before taking on new ones. Get started on them right away so you can cross them off the list and get on with the next item. Rather than rushing through a chore, appreciate your task at hand. Understand the value of your efforts. No part of life needs to be a worthless burden. Every step you take can bring you closer to your goal. Making small steps in the right direction is more productive than taking no steps at all or taking big steps in the wrong direction. Even those steps often benefit us in the long run.
Only by doing can we be successful. All the planning and knowledge in the world are useless without action. Doing, not knowing, brings us to our goals. In fact, doing is our goal; therefore, the moment we are doing it, we are successful. If we do nothing, what achievements can be reached? Our actions determine our direction like the rudder of a ship and propel us like wind to it’s sail.
As amazing as the power of the mind is, change cannot occur in our mind alone. The practice or act of doing is the ultimate expression of the now.We can think we want to be healthy all we want. If we do not act accordingly with the food we purchase or the activities we chose, we cannot create health.
Being conscious of our actions keeps our mind in the present. Just as our thoughts require action, our actions require thought. The intent of our actions determines the power of the results. When words and actions contradict, actions are more believable. Hypocrisy discredits the words of anyone who commits it. Being congruent in one’s thoughts and actions can be a great obstacle. Overcoming this obstacle is vital to any person practicing spiritual cultivation. Are your actions in harmony with what you believe? What steps can you take to be more congruent?
There are many steps to be taken on the path to success. Each one brings you closer to your goal. There are many excuses you can make to fail. It is up to you to find the motivation to take the first step and to keep on moving. That very first step is the most daunting. Take it. Enjoy your journey every step of the way. Success awaits just ahead of you.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. -Lao Tzu