While writing this blog, I intentionally create sets of practices that are scalable and adaptable to ideas big and small. Whether someone wants to work locally in their neighborhood with a few friends, start a non-profit that solves a big societal problem, or a business has an idea to develop a product they want to make millions of dollars from, the practices apply and scale up or down.
Albert Einstein imparted his wisdom of goal setting and ideas in this quote:
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” –Albert Einstein
What he stated simply and brilliantly, was ‘we cannot get there from here.’ So, wherever your idea births from in your mind or your life, the practices I teach you very deliberately to pull you out of that context from which you birthed your idea and into a different set of contexts where you can make it happen.
This ensures the problems that were behind that original idea don’t stop you from being successful in making that idea happen.
Want to have all the daily practices I’ve been teaching you in one convenient place? Get a copy of my book Mission to Million$ – Taking Big Ideas and Making Them a Reality.
AN OBJECT IN MOTION STAYS IN MOTION AND AN OBJECT AT REST STAYS AT REST
This is indisputable science. Therefore, the most effective leaders on the planet know and habitually Take Daily Action on their big ideas and goals.
One of the most powerful life practices you can adopt is that from this day forward, you now have your ACTION journal. You are on a mission to fulfill your ideas.
Every day, you will set aside 5–15 minutes of time to journal the actions you will take on your goals each day BEFORE you get distracted by life.
Journaling is best typically first thing in the morning, or before you go to bed at night. As you get more practice, you’ll notice you journal throughout the day as the wind shifts and different actions are required.
I have a personal commitment to take at least five minutes of action each day on my Big Goals and Ideas. A good question to ask yourself each morning or evening is,
“What is one thing I could do today to make progress on the idea?”
I promise you that after working with and interviewing dozens of leaders, their daily actions don’t include constantly responding to everything that comes in via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, phone, or text and firefighting.
Do the above and the next thing you know, your entire day is gone.
Don’t stop making progress by focusing on big items that take hours to complete. Small actions producing wins (even 5 minutes) are important to grow your energy and confidence!
I launched my first residential real-estate development company on 5 minutes to 1 hour of action daily. That company now will probably fund a good part of my retirement ;o)
FOCUS! Look at something you can do in the short-term, such as:
- Make a phone call
- Study something on the Internet
- Sign up for a course
- Have a short conversation about the idea
- Ask someone questions about the idea
- Attend a meeting and network
- Call someone and share the idea
- Read something relevant to your idea
- Meet a new person
- Schedule a meeting
- Do research
- Meditate
- Write tomorrow’s actions up
As you complete the day’s actions, check them off and celebrate.
If you don’t complete them that day, don’t make yourself wrong!
Instead, keep them live, go at it again the next day, and check them off whenever they get done. Small steps every day make for big outcomes because it’s pure physics – AN OBJECT IN MOTION STAYS IN MOTION.
What If I Feel Like I’m Stuck?
When I work with my clients on their ideas and they feel stuck, I ask them, “What actions did you write to be accomplished today?” Many times, I find they decided to skip a day, then two days. Next thing you know a week has gone by, and no progress has been made. Focus is lost. Blurry vision sets in. If you go long enough, idea death happens as you start talking yourself into the impossibility of what you’re doing.
Daily actions help you see things are moving and getting done on the way to the Big Idea. Taking your commitments and writing goals also helps you to create a solid strategy to achieve the Big Idea. Without your goals and daily actions driving your idea roadmap, you and your idea will get lost.
What if I’m Failing?
Any time you feel that failure conversation creeping in, don’t go there. Instead, focus on what goals and actions would someone who is succeeding at this idea take, and write them down in your daily action journal.
EVERYONE FAILS. THE PLANET IS DESIGNED “FAIL – LEARN/EVOLVE”.
There is no inspiration or action in focusing on failures. So make the commitment right now. Take that shot. Start today, as soon as you stop reading this. Leaders are in motion and that is what makes people follow them ;o)
