5 Reasons You Don’t Take Action

February 24, 2015 By Leave a Comment

During the Ultimate Women’s Conference earlier in February, one of the sponsors had a sign that said “What’s in the rearview mirror doesn’t matter”.  This got me to thinking about how so many people spent time thinking about the past and what could have been if only they had taken action.

You can’t change the past but you can be the leader in your future.  The cost of indecision and inaction can be huge!  Only you can determine what that cost is to you.

Here are 5 reasons that business leaders don’t take action.

 

1.  Not Enough Time  

We all have 24 hours at our disposal.  Time is not the issue.  How we choose to use the time available is the issue. In business, time is money. I love this quote from Dan Kennedy.  He says it so well.
“Disciplined use of the time everybody else wastes can give you an edge. The now rich and famous writer of legal thrillers, Scott Turow, wrote his first novel using only his morning commutes into New York City on the train. All around him, others just killed the same time. For most people, these minutes don’t matter. But they can. So when you say to yourself ‘it’s only 10 minutes,’ you miss the entire point of time.” – Dan Kennedy
What can you accomplish in 10 minutes?

 

2.   Fear of the Unknownqueery-cartoon

Your Gremlin (that little voice that drives self-doubt, magnifies fear and forces you to second-guess yourself) can be very destructive.  Change and growth both involve taking steps forward into the relative unknown.

Planning is key to conquering this fear and will quite the Gremlin. Planning involves taking a large goal, breaking it down into manageable tasks and then taking small steps forward.  As you take action, you review and reassess the results you achieve and rejig things along the way.

 

 3.   Need more time to plan

I hear this so often.  Planning takes time and I;d rather just jump in and move forward.  In some instances your plan may not have to be written its just in your head and you know what steps you will take to get the desired results.  Larger and more strategic goals will span a longer time period and frequently get derailed by day-to-day operations or “bright shiny objects” that look great but take you off course.
“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.”  Anthony Robbins
Planning doesn’t have to take a lot of time – instead it takes some focused time. When you plan you want to think through the required steps and tasks and identify resources need as well as the who, what, where, when, why and how of what you want to achieve.  Write down these plans either in a mindmap, a journal, a vision board, a spreadsheet or list.  Once this is done you what to go back and look at this plan and measure your progress.

 

4.  Lack of resources

“The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” – Stephen R. Covey
 
We often don’t think about it but time is a resource, one that is frequently taken for granted.  One key skill that is often underdeveloped and under utilized the is ability to delegate.  Can you outsource some of your actions to a Time Wasted _ clock in bin 9491623_sfamily member at home, a colleague who is more skilled or knowledgeable or a virtual assistant or employee?
One tip to assist you is create yourself a “how to” document or operations manual that can be used by others to accomplish the tasks you need help with so that you can move on to other higher priority, higher revenue generating tasks.   Invest some time in these resources and the results they achieve in meeting your desired results are far more likely and less frustrating for everyone involved. Delegation does not mean abdication. You will both be confident when you touch base along the way.

 

5.  Don’t want it bad enough

“Believe in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Have faith in your own abilities, work hard, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish.”   Brad Henry

If you really want something, you are more likely to put it on the top of your “to do” list and you will invest the time and money and other resources needed to accomplish that goal.  Self-confidence, recognition of your own passions and dreams will help you along the way.
If your mind becomes cluttered with other thoughts, and you spend your time doing other things, this is a signal that you need to reconsider this goal and determine if you want it bad enough.  What is the cost to you if you drop it from the list?  What would be a good replacement that you do want bad enough?

 

 

www.freedigitalimages.netPlanning and time play key roles in achieving the success you want to achieve.  Along the way, you have many opportunities to make decisions which will impact the end result.  Keep your mind and eyes wide open and recognize when your Gremlin is getting in the way.

Contact us today if you want to reach your full potential and make better use of your time and efforts. A complimentary Business Assessment Session can help identify your next steps. Book yours now.

Filed Under: 2015, Business Success, February, Planning Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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