If it is only in your head it does not count! Turning thoughts and ideas into action is one of the barriers we all face in achieving personal success. Just having a great idea or vision will not make us successful. We need to implement it.
Let’s review three
areas where we could improve our ability to take ideas and put them into action:
1. Think big, start small. You want big ideas. You need big ideas to be motivated, to channel your passion, and to excite others. However, you don’t want your big idea to get in the way of the small steps you need to take to get started. Don’t let that big idea be a mountain you can never climb. Define the first steps, no matter how small, and take them.
2. Be consistent. If you take one swing with an axe at a giant oak tree every day, eventually it will fall. Being consistent means taking action every day. What do I mean by every day? I mean EVERY day. Small actions over time add up to big results. How long did it take to build the first transcontinental railroad in the United States? The railroad was proposed in 1845, but construction did not start until 1863. Once started it took just over 6 years to complete. It took over 6800 days to get from the idea to action, then only 2200 days to build. It was built rail by rail, a little each day.
3. Be accountable. We are accountable for our actions, but being accountable for putting our ideas into actions is different. We can’t be accountable for our ideas until we express them. So we need to develop skills and habits that allow us to be accountable to ourselves. This development is greatly accelerated by working with a coach. Great athletes, actors, and business leaders use coaches not only to improve their skills, but to help themselves be accountable for their own success.
Al Batt has said, “It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action.” This is the ultimate challenge. It is what separates fantasy from fact. You can turn your dreams into reality. It only takes defining the actions, and taking them, little by little. Remember if it is only in your head, it doesn’t count!
If you are ready to grow your accountability, you may want to join a mastermind group, or engage a coach. You can do either with New Roads Leadership, you just have to take the first step.