5 Steps on the Path to Action
James Marcus Ross
VP of Operations | Veterinary Industry Leader | Building Effective Teams for Exceptional Client Experiences | Leadership Development Coach & Gallup Strengths Advocate
Our lives are the result of choices. Too often we forget that everything is choices. Even not making a choice is a choice.
These choices form our character. How we respond to the world and circumstances outside our control. And for everything outside of our control, we still have complete and utter responsibility for the lives we lead.
It is not our choices that limit our opportunities. It is our desire to hold on to the choices we have made. To hold onto our past, and to protect what we have.
The first decision is make a choice. Decide.
Think about it this way. -If you have done all your homework, and there is no more facts to pull into your thinking, then which path to choose matters less than making the choice. Both paths are going to get you somewhere, and that somewhere is better than standing at the fork in the road.
Then you must decide to act - Keep it simple
Put your feet on the path. Do not go back to step one, you've made the decision. Do not go back to mulling over something you have decided. Action. Action. Action. Don't go big your first day. Just taking the step is going big. It's about consistent daily effort.
Maintain tenacity
Keep up your resolve by maintaining your tenacity. This is persistence through force of will, hard work, maintaining momentum with work. This is another area where your character will shine through. Grit, tenacity, perseverance, determination, resolve, doggedness - dig deep and keep going.
Love the process
To stay focused and not lose your self in doubt, you must love the process. Love what you are doing. What ever it is, the process matters, if you want to succeed it's important to enjoy the how of what you are doing. Work out those habits, adjust where necessary, and enjoy.
Experience the journey
It's one thing to love the process, and another to enjoy the overall journey. The journey is the experience. It is the cradle of our lives. And this is where we learn and grow, through experience. When you focus on the end result, the results are tainted and much of the time this is where we give up. Learn from this experience and build upon the success of learning.
Sitting on the sidelines of your life doesn't work. The clock is still running down, and there are no timeouts. Make the decision to invest in yourself and to relentlessly pursue your dreams. Action and tenacity will always win.