Ready for Action?

I’m a big fan of thinking and brainstorming and planning. (Okay, maybe “daydreaming” would be a better description for a lot of what I do…) I think that many of us end up erring on the side of doing too much and not spending enough time thinking through whether we’re even doing the right things.

However … with any goal or plan or project, there comes a point where you need to stop daydreaming and start taking action.

For months, I daydreamed from time to time about learning the guitar. But there was no way I could get started until I took the first step of actually buying a guitar. And now I have the guitar, I need to actually take action in order to get anywhere – I need to pick it up and practice.

It’s the same with my novel. I’ve been writing this novel for a year and a half. I had the idea for it at least two years before I wrote a single word of it. And, however great and interesting the idea, it was only going to become a novel once I actually took action.

There’s no need to rush into taking action prematurely. Often, you’ll simple know when you’re ready; that “this is it” moment which successful dieters can point to; that sudden buzz of energy which sees you starting on a project that intimidates and excites you all at once.

Sometimes, though, you need to give yourself a little nudge to get moving. Here’s how.

Changing Your Surroundings

I think I first came across this from Steve Pavlina, who explained that when he was making the shift from software development to personal development, he took all his techy books and computer manuals off his shelves and replaced them with self-improvement ones.

You can apply a similar idea to almost any goal or project. When I made the shift from writing purely non-fiction back into writing fiction, I was surrounded by fellow fiction writers on my MA course. When I’ve successfully lost weight, it’s been (in part) by changing the foods which I buy.

If you’re finding it hard to get started with a particular goal, find ways to incorporate it into your surroundings. That might mean reading about it (and keeping the book on your desk or bedside table so that you see it frequently). For big, life-changing goals, you might even move to a different house, a different town or a different country.

Things which help me are:

• Reading about the new thing I want to do
• Finding other people who are interested – perhaps a club or group or evening class
• Having some visible, tangible reminder (my guitar’s sitting about three feet from my elbow at the moment, which makes it hard to forget about it!)

Giving Yourself Space

It’s hard to take action on a new goal when you’re already working on a dozen other projects. This isn’t just about time: you’ve only got a certain amount of energy, and trying to split your focus between multiple goals can become really draining.

If you want to start a new goal, something that you’re currently doing needs to go on the back-burner. That might mean that you ditch a particular activity for a while, or that you just refocus your attention and put something else into maintenance rather than growth mode.

I made a conscious decision last year to focus on my MA above my business; I’m staying steady making enough money that I don’t need to fret about the bills every month, but I’ve stopped worrying about business growth, for now.

I know how hard it is to choose between different goals. But particularly when you’re starting something new, you need to give yourself plenty of space. If you’re trying to lose 50lbs, quit smoking and write a novel all at once, you’re probably going to fail at all three. That does not mean you lack willpower – it just means you’re trying to do way too much.

(This is why New Year’s resolutions never go anywhere – we make too many of them, and we run out of energy.)

Starting the Ball Rolling

A lot of advice – often good advice – encourages you to just make a start; just change one thing about your diet, just read a few pages, just tidy one closet.

I think that sometimes, we end up starting too soon. If you find yourself holding back from a particular goal or project, take the time to look at why.

If you’re already doing way too much, then perhaps this isn’t the best time. If it’s a project which you feel apathetic about, is there any point going for it at all? (Don’t get too swayed by other people’s ideas – you need your own goals.)

Quite often, of course, we’re held back by feeling afraid. The first step is often the hardest one, and as soon as you’ve started to take action, it’s much easier to carry on.

If that’s you, I’d suggest not just picking one step, but planning out several. I like to have a date by which I’ll achieve something specific. It doesn’t need to be big, but it needs to show some actual progress.

For instance, I’ve set myself a launch date for my next ebook – June 1^st. That helps me stay focused on each step, rather than putting off action indefinitely because I’m a bit scared. I’m focusing just on the book, though; this isn’t some huge, all-encompassing project, it’s just a clear step on the way towards broader goals.

If you’re facing something huge – perhaps losing weight, changing career, training for a particular field – then can you find one simple but clear part to focus on?

• Perhaps you can focus on losing 12lbs and fitting back into your old jeans.
• Perhaps you could rewrite your CV (resume) and find a list of jobs to apply for
• Perhaps you’ll take an introductory course and then look into further study

To get going, figure out a clear and significant step along the path: not an overwhelming one, but big enough that it makes taking action worthwhile, and small enough that you know you can do it.

Quick reminder – I launched an email newsletter for Aliventures readers a few weeks ago; feedback about that has been great so far! I typically send it out every couple of weeks, and you can read more about it and sign up here.