“Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace.” — Randy Armstrong
Last week we started a series of three blogs on the subject of taking action. In our first blog we examined three ways to take action now and now will look at some motivating reasons for taking action now. This series follows our last series of blogs addressing momentum and defeating procrastination and the importance of this transition to life and work. Establishing momentum and eliminating procrastination are essential to find success in our business and necessary to ignite action.
What’s inhibiting us from taking action? Is it fear? Perhaps you’re waiting for the right break instead of making your opportunities in life? Or maybe you believe you’re not smart or talented enough? These negative beliefs are holding you back.
There’s a reason why so many intelligent people fail. They tend to overthink everything and are often afraid to take risks. If that’s your case, here are some powerful reasons to become an action-taker:
Get Rid of Doubts
If you don’t take action, you’ll keep wondering What if? You will struggle with self-doubt and question your decisions. Taking action builds experience and boosts your confidence. It also allows you to discover new resources and information that will contribute to your success. Don’t confuse self-confidence and arrogance.
Your Time Is Limited
Steve Jobs once said that remembering you’re going to die is the best way to stop thinking you have something to lose. Your time on this earth is limited. You never know what’s going to happen a month or a year from now.
You might never get a second chance to rent that perfect office space in your area, go to that meeting you’ve been postponing for weeks, or apply for your dream job. Take action today! Don’t settle for anything less than you deserve! Your tomorrow’s are not guaranteed.
One Thing Leads to Another
Getting started is often the hardest yet the most important step to success. No matter your plans, you must take action to bring them to life.
Once you make that first step, everything else will fall into place. It may or may not work out as you hope, but it will lead to something new. Think of it as an opportunity to grow and learn.
Let’s say you want to apply for a job that sounds perfect for you, but you know you aren’t quite qualified enough. Yes, it’s scary to apply, but what’s really at stake? Even if you don’t get the job, you’ll get practice interviewing for your dream job. You’ll also get feedback on what you need to focus on to get a similar job in the future. When you start taking action, you get results. If you never leave, you will never get there.
Develop Your Skills
Whether your projects succeed or fail, there’s always a chance to learn new things. Taking action will help develop your skills, leading to greater confidence.
Action taking is essential, but it is important to consider various factors that can hinder individuals from moving ahead, and these barriers often stem from psychological, emotional, or situational sources. It is important to do a self-inventory and reflect on what factors below are impeding your ability to act. Some common reasons include:
- Fear of Failure: The fear of not succeeding or making mistakes can paralyze individuals and prevent them from taking the necessary steps. Overcoming this fear is crucial for personal growth.
- Perfectionism: Striving for perfection can lead to a fear of not meeting high standards, causing procrastination. Recognizing that perfection is often unattainable and that taking imperfect action is better than taking no action can be liberating.
- Lack of Confidence: A lack of self-confidence can undermine the belief in one’s ability to succeed. Building self-esteem and recognizing past achievements can help overcome this barrier.
- Overwhelm: When faced with a large or complex task, individuals may feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start. Breaking the task into smaller, more manageable steps can make it less intimidating and easier to move along.
- Lack of Clarity: Uncertainty about the goals, the necessary steps, or the potential outcomes can lead to inaction. Setting clear goals and creating a plan can provide direction. The importance of planning again.
- Procrastination: Procrastination is a common barrier to acting. It often results from a desire to avoid discomfort or unpleasant tasks. Developing effective time management strategies and addressing the root causes of procrastination can help.
- External Validation: Relying too much on external validation and seeking approval from others can hinder personal initiative. Developing self-validation and understanding that not everyone needs to approve can be empowering.
- Comfort Zone: People often resist taking action because it requires stepping outside their comfort zone. However, growth and success often occur when individuals challenge themselves and embrace discomfort.
- Lack of Motivation: A lack of motivation can stem from various factors, such as unclear goals, burnout, or a sense of purposelessness. Reconnecting with personal values, setting meaningful goals, and finding sources of inspiration can reignite motivation.
- Negative Self-Talk: Negative thoughts and self-doubt can erode confidence and discourage action. Developing a positive mindset and challenging negative self-talk can be essential for taking proactive steps.
- External Obstacles: Sometimes, external factors such as financial constraints, lack of resources, poor indecisive leadership, or unforeseen challenges can impede action. Identifying and addressing these obstacles is crucial for moving forward.
- Lack of Support: A lack of encouragement or support from others can make it challenging to act. Surrounding oneself with a supportive network and seeking guidance can provide the needed encouragement. We need more collaboration.
Understanding these barriers and addressing them systematically can help you overcome obstacles and become a more effective action taker. It often involves a combination of self-reflection, mindset shifts, and practical strategies for goal setting and time management.
The next time you want to take action on a dream, you’ll feel better prepared and have more experience. On top of that, you’ll approach things from a new perspective and won’t repeat the same mistakes. All these improvements will strengthen your confidence and translate into greater credibility. We know from research that confidence and credibility are two of our greatest resources for success in interviewing, investigations, and auditing.
Anderson Investigative Associates is positioned to custom-tailor training to your specific needs. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the above issues of identifying hurdles to action, initiating action, or any training need, please reach out. Additional issues pertaining to interviewing, auditing, and investigations can be found in other blogs and videos that we have produced and are contained in most blocks of instruction that our company presents.
If you have additional questions, comments, or have an interviewing topic you would like me to address, give me a shout. In the meantime, be well, stay safe out there, and get focused on identifying those barriers to action, overcome them, and act ….it will change many aspects of your life.
Mark A. Anderson
Director of Training and Development
Anderson Investigative Associates, llc
114 Loucks Avenue
Scottdale, PA 15683
manderson@andersoninvestigative.com
tel:912-571-6686
