JUST DO IT!
You have what it takes to win in life. Success is not something reserved for the elite few, it is available for anyone and everyone that will put forth the right effort. Benjamin Franklin said, “Well done is better than well said.” It is one thing to talk the talk; it’s something else to walk the walk. You will not be remembered for what you say as much as for what you do.
As a kid growing up, my mother often told me, “Actions speak louder than words.” I have never forgotten that truth. It’s good to have right intentions, it’s better to have right actions.
Too many people in life want everything handed to them on the silver platter. Our culture and our government have created a whole people group that has developed a sense of entitlement. They want victory without battles. They want success without work. They want health without taking care of their bodies. However, you must remember if there’s no pain there’s no gain.
As I’ve said on many occasions “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” If you want to be successful in life you are going to have to take personal responsibility for your life. You and you alone are responsible for your life. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help people that have had setbacks or experienced some kind of tragedy in life, but what it does mean is we should give them a handup not just a handout!
Perhaps one of the greatest marketing slogans ever developed was by the sports shoe manufacture NIKE. It simply said, “Just do it!” In other words don’t just dream it, don’t just talk it, get busy and do it! Become a person of action. Begin to “Plan your work and work your plan.”
As you study scripture (the greatest success book ever written) you will find many verses that deal with our being a people of action. In one of my favorite parables (stories with a meaning) Jesus taught that it is only the person that hears, and acts on what he hears, that builds a life that is secure and stable that will be able to withstand the storms or problems that come their way. (Luke 6:46-49)
How many times have you read a book, listened to a motivational speech, heard a sermon, watched an informational video, or attended a training seminar, and agreed with what you learned? Maybe you’ve spent the time and put forth the effort to learn new information or be reminded of something you had learned in the past, yet you have never put into practice what you’ve learned. Why not? The only way to experience success in any area of life is to put into action what you have learned and what you know you should be doing.
The dreams and aspirations that you have will never be realized without action. It is one thing to be a positive thinker; it is something altogether different to be a positive doer! There are a lot of brilliant people with tons of information and great educations that never accomplish all they could because they are only reservoirs of knowledge, they aren’t doers.
While dreams are important, and information is essential, to anything becoming a reality, the only thing that will produce the success you desire in life is action. One of my problems with so many that teach the “Law of Attraction” is that they seem to be missing the most important key to experiencing or as they say, “attracting” success in life. While it is true there is power in positive expectation, positive expectation alone will not get the job done. The writer James in the New Testament made this statement, “Faith without works is dead, being alone.” It is important to believe in what you are doing, to believe that success is yours, to believe that good things are coming your way, but it is more important to put action to what you’re believing for and what you are expecting.
Former President Jimmy Carter made a powerful statement that I believe is appropriate for this blog posting. “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something . . . I'm free to choose what that something is, and the something I've chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands -- this is not optional -- my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”
Success is much more than you acquiring a nice house, driving a top of the line sports car, wearing designer clothing, or dining in the finest of restaurants. It is about making a positive difference in the lives of those around you. It is about leaving the world a better place than when you found it. The key to this is found in our becoming people of action. If we will do the right things, the right ways, at the right times, we will with certainty enjoy success.
Got a dream, got a goal, got a plan, got a desired outcome? Just Do It!