How to Turn PROCRASTINATION into ACTION

Tony Robbins says, “A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.”

Agreed. You may be familiar with the catalyst behind my ?Year by the Water. I told my son Andrew I was exhausted and didn’t want to get on a plane that night. He said:

“Mom, there’s something about you I don’t understand. You’ve created a life where you can do anything you want … and you’re not taking advantage of it.”

The instant he said it, I knew he was right. Yet it took me two years to act on his insight.

It wasn’t until I put a date on the calendar that I stopped blowing smoke and started taking action. It was only when I scheduled a start date that my project went from being wishful thinking to something real I began planning.

Something similar happened years before. I lived on Lake Audubon near Washington DC. Every Memorial day, they host Jim McDonnell 1 and 2 mile Lake Swims.

It was literally in my back yard, so my dog Murph and I went over to check it out.

Following an inspiring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, they sent off the nationally-ranked competitors and the age groups 30, 40, 50, 60,70 and 80 and above.

80 and above?! I watched those fit octogenarians splash into the lake and asked myself, “What’s my excuse?!”

See, I used to be a competitive swimmer. I swam for my small town and high school team growing up, and coached my local recreation league in Northern California.

When I lived in Hawaii, I swam at dawn with my friend Dorothy Douthit at Ala Moana Beach Park and competed in the 2.4 mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim.

Here I was though, living on a lake and in a community with 12 swimming pools, and I wasn’t swimming at all. No excuse!

This time, instead of simply telling myself I “should” get back into swimming, I came home, logged on to my computer, searched for the Waikiki Rough Water Swim website and registered.

The instant I acted, I became accountable. This was no longer just an idea, it was a commitment. The clock was ticking and I needed to book flights/hotels and schedule training swims so I wouldn’t embarrass myself when the big day came.

It turned into a family holiday. My son Andrew swam in the race (and beat me, the noogie). My other son Tom served as land crew. Long-time friends from the islands met me at the finish line on the beach at Hilton Hawaiian Village to help celebrate.

Back to my Year by the Water. The second I put OCTOBER 1 on the calendar as the official day I would head out on my adventure, it became a project with a start date. That idea had FORM now with practical logistics that needed to be figured out.

What was I going to do with my house, my belongings, my mail, my car? How would I finance this? Where would I go first ... and next? How would my office manager Cheri Grimm and I run my speaking/coaching business from the road?

To put this in perspective, if I hadn’t put a date on the calendar, I wouldn't be here in France attending this private photography workshop at Monet's Garden with Charles Needles and Dewitt Jones. That idea would probably still be in my head and I’d be thinking about doing it … someday.

As they say, someday is not a day in the week.

As Tony Robbins says, “A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.”

How about you? What would you like to experience or achieve by the end of this year? Want to travel someplace new? Compete in an event? Honor your mom and dad’s 50th wedding anniversary? Plan a reunion with some college friends? Re-activate a hobby?

Put a date on the calendar.

The second you do, your decision will turn into action and your intention will start becoming a reality instead of wishful thinking.

And isn't that what we want ... results, not reasons?

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Sam Horn, CEO of the Intrigue Agency, is on a mission to help people create quality projects that add value for all involved. Her TEDx talk and books Tongue Fu!, POP!, and Got Your Attention? have been featured in NY Times, Forbes, INC, and presented to Capital One, National Geographic, Boeing, Intel, NASA and Cisco. Her new book SOMEDAY is Not a Day in the Week will be published Jan. 2019. Want to work with Sam or arrange for her to speak to your group? Contact [email protected].