Why Taking Action Is Not The Answer To Self Improvement
Copyright 2005 Rasheed Ali
Have you ever made up your mind to do something, did it and then
had disappointing, lackluster results?
Well, you're definitely not alone in that.
Recently, I came to realize that there are people who make up
their minds to do something and take "Action" right away, only
to become defeated and never look back and stick with their
idea. Tjhey don't achieve the results that they desire and self
improvement and sucess seem a distant dream.
You see, the problem is not necessarily with the idea but rather
in their need for immediate gratification and taking "Action"
right away. Immediate gratification has become so inherent in
our society that even "Action" has become a problem just like
fast food and diet pills.
Sure, there are entire billion dollar industries built on
fulfilling the need for immediate gratification but, sometimes
the cost is too high and often it is more than just money.
I've personally seen men with reputable and thriving businesses
make such immediate gratification "Action" decisions and lose
the trust and money of the customers that they worked years to
acquire. They ruin the success they worked hard to achieve.
Our personal lives and businesses are not the only things that
are affected by such decisions. Our customers and family are too.
In the end there is really only one course of "Action" that
should be taken and it is often not even considered. It is
"EFFECTIVE ACTION" that makes all of the difference in our lives
and businesses. Strange?
Effective Action can only be taken and applied when we use the
SMART Goal Setting Principle with a twist.
SMART = Specific + Measurable + Achievable + Realistic + Timely
Specific: A goal needs to be exact and clearly stated. Vague and
general terms are not goals. Your brain needs to focus on a
specific target.
Measurable: How do you know when the goal is completed? When
stating your goal you should state how you are going to measure
when it is complete. If you don't know the measurement then you
will never know that you have achieved it.
Achievable: Your goal must be attainable. If you have not
learned what you need to know in order to attain your goal, then
you must either learn it and then apply or find someone to
assist you that already knows what you don't. Think about past
achievements or failures in your life and apply some of the
lessons that you learned.
Realistic: Being realistic is a bit tricky. What may be
realistic for you may not be realistic for others. You can see
this truth throughout your life. Keep your goal within
boundaries that you set and upgrade how realistic it is as you
get closer or achieve more.
Timely: Keep a specific time of day for working towards your
goal. In addition to that, keep a timeline of when you intend on
completing each portion of your goal. Keep track of each item
completed and when. Tracking is an essential element in
achievement.
The twist in taking Effective Action is in the asking of
specific questions. The questions are not asked of others but
they rather are asked of you!
For example, if you wanted to lose weight and didn't have a lot
time to exercise; your question would be:
Q - What is the most time efficient or effective way for me to
lose weight through exercise?
A - The most time efficient way would be through interval
training or sprint training type of activites that involve
little time and maximum effort, which result in maximum fat loss.
Thanks to the information age and your own subconcious mind, the
answers are available but you just have to ask them.
Effective Action involves a little planning, thought, and
question asking but, the results will be available as proof that
this method is better than just taking plain "Action."
So in the end it is "Effective Action" that gets the results you
want and they are not always immediate. Self Imporovement and
Success are guaranteed!