It’s time to take action.
Visualize this for a moment – Think about your favorite hobby. Is it playing the guitar? Is it cooking? Is it playing a sport? Picture the first time you tried it. What were you thinking then? What hesitations did you have? How did you get started?
Taking the first step is the hardest part of getting closer to your goals, and that’s exactly what it is, closer to your goals! Once you decide and commit to do something it’s important to immediately take action! Follow these guidelines and get started as soon as possible!
Taking Action
Step 1 – Do your research. Just enough to get you started. Keep going as needed! Once you decide on your goals the first step is to do some digging. A few things to consider in this research are –
- Steps others have taken
- Experts you can speak to
- Obstacles others have encountered
Learn what you can, and once you kinda sorta think you know what you need to do…GO
Step 2 – List action steps. Make a list of 3-7 things you need to do, then organize them to create your Action Step List. The order can be determined by what you can do with both the time and resources that you currently have. And as you take these steps, more resources will become available. Having an Action Step List will help you know exactly where you’re at in your journey and help with some accountability. If you start with tasks you can complete quickly there’s a hit of excitement when you get to cross that off your list.
One thing to remember when making your list – as soon as you know what will be first on the list DO IT. Start right away. You will continue to make changes to your Action Steps as you go. The important part is that you start and never look back!
Step 3 – Do your best. For each of your action steps, you must do your absolute best. That means something different for everyone, and for every step. Lots of people give up too early. When the going gets rough, is it time to throw in the towel? No. Absolutely not! And if you thought things were going to be easy, think again.
Remember that hobby you have? Were you good at it the first time? I remember my first time skiing. I fell countless times. I was wet, cold, and miserable. It was awesome. Each time I went back I got better and better, and came home with less bruises. One day I came home with no bruises at all and a new love for skiing.
Think about all the things you’ve never tried that you might love simply because of fear of the unknown. There are so many possibilities and opportunities out there for you to explore, and there’s no one way to do anything! This is why the research step helps so much. If you get to talk to someone who’s done exactly the same thing you want to do you can learn from their mistakes!
Want to make it even easier to do?
Here are three ways to make absolutely certain you’re going to get what you desire:
- Hire a Coach – The value of a coach is immeasurable. Nowadays, Coaches are providing people with all sorts of help and supplementing much of the education and health systems. A true disruptive endeavor! Coaches are generally subject matter experts who have mastered one or more techniques/systems for solving the exact problem you’re trying to solve. In addition, Coaches are learners themselves, and are constantly adding tools to their belt to help you overcome any challenges you may face. Coaches help with things such as: Fitness, Nutrition, Business, Mental Health, Leadership, even Pregnancy! Just don’t be scared of by the price at face value. Most (good) Coaches price their services based on outcomes and will work tirelessly until your problem is solves or you reach your goal. It’s an investment for sure, and the benefit far outweighs the cost. Though, I am biased.
- Find a tribe – That group of friends you hang out with, do they value the same things? If so, you will benefit simply from being around them. Being part of a group of like minded people is great because you can absorb and learn everything they do! They’d also be very willing to help you. I’ve made some incredible friendships at networking events where I got to meet other people just like me working toward similar goals. We get to share ideas, create opportunities for each other, and of course, enjoy each other’s company! I would not be where I am today without my Tribe. Where can you find yours?
- Treat the Action steps like practice – Everything you do can be a practice, and, if you do something often enough you’re going to get really good! Once in a while you’ll encounter a really difficult task or really big obstacle. And I mean something that seems insurmountable! In the gym we see this a lot with difficult skills like Muscle Ups and Handstand Walking. Like any big obstacle, you’re going to deal with it one small piece at a time. If you break down the big obstacle into smaller repeatable steps, it’s going to pay off in dividends if you stay consistent! Like chopping down a tree, one swing is not the thing that will take the tree down. It takes countless deliberate swings aimed in the general direction of the tree from different angles to knock that sucker down. Similarly, if you’re struggling with getting a muscle up, you can rep out the individual parts of it until you’re ready to go for it.
The important thing to know about the Action step in the goal-setting process is that you can start immediately and start where you are. If you’re worried or nervous about trying something new or getting started, you can work the steps above. Start where you are, not where you’re going.
There is but one more step in the process that you’ll read about next week which is arguably the most important and the most overlooked. It’s for when you’re well on your way, already seeing progress, and unsure of what’s next!
If you are still struggling with designing your plan for success or unsure of what your goals really are – CLICK HERE to schedule a free goal-setting session to help you get clear on what you want so you never have to feel stuck and finally feel like you’re making progress.