Just do it!

Taking action is a critical part of life, especially to fulfill a dream or a goal. When the dream is big – such as a dream career or a dream home – it often is quite a stretch from where we are. That’s why we can be simultaneously seduced by the mesmerizing pull of this dream and utterly scared off by its enormity, unable to get our arms around how to make it happen. If our desire for this dream isn’t strong enough, or if we don’t allow ourselves to feel the burning desire for it, we let the fear of the unknown and the discomfort of being stretched out of our comfort win. We stay frozen in inaction.

Dale Carnegie said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” He really had a point. We don’t want to act for the sake of not standing still or simply running away from something, nor do we want to act recklessly. However, all the researching, strategizing and planning in the world won’t do us any good until we get out of our heads and spring into action. The longer we sit and mull over all the contingencies, scenarios and details, the more our instinctive self who wants to be safe will come up with a world of excuses for why we shouldn’t go for it. So, at some point, we just need to do it!

When we act, we set change in motion. We signal to our subconscious that we don’t want the status quo anymore but our dream instead. The universe then conspires to line up the people and events to meet our commitment of action. The results may be exactly what we anticipate, or they may provide us with information on what to do next. Whatever the case may be, we move closer to our dream. It’s just like what Jack Canfield says: When you take a long road trip, you can’t see the destination from the starting point. You can only see a finite stretch of road ahead of you. Yet, as you continue to drive, the next stretch of the road is revealed to you, and the next stretch after that. But you need to get on the road and keep driving before the road will unfold before you, one stretch at a time.

That’s why I’m doing, while still learning and planning. I’m going for every potential opportunity to be interviewed by media, so that the message of REACH gets disseminated. Just this week, I was interviewed for an article for iVillage.com on helping women build self confidence and for an internet radio show, “Top of Your Game,” that aims at empowering listeners to succeed. These happened while I’m still continuing to work with the publisher to resolve quality issues and working with my web hosting company on my website. Things are not happening as neatly or in the sequence the planner in me would like to see them. However, what’s important is that things are happening, and I’m committed to riding this continual wave of action toward a clear sense of purpose. I’m working many hours these days (and often forgetting to eat!). But it doesn’t feel like work, because it fulfills my burning desire, the reason why I didn’t die in the horrendous car accident in December 2008. I’m following my dream into action.

It’s important to be prepared and to have a viable game plan aligned with clear objectives. However, it’s also important to not be stuck in the paralysis of planning and perfecting the course of action. At some point, it’s good to just start doing and to allow the energy of being in motion open up unexpected avenues. If nothing else, we get to test out the strategies we have been planning methodically. If they work as well as we want, wonderful! If not, they tell us what we need to tweak. It’s all good!

So, to borrow Nike’s tagline, Just do it!