The One Factor That Separates You From Everyone Else

What separates the successful from the mediocre? The winners from the non-winners. The haves from the have-nots. And the high achievers from everybody else. One thing: ACTION!

Coaching Entrepreneurs, High Performers, & Executive Leaders has allowed me to have an inside look at their habits, traits and decision making styles. A number of factors stand out in attributing to their success, but the one that stands out above all is their commitment to taking action. What is it about action that differentiates it from all other factors? Action is the difference between imagination and reality. Simply put, action produces tangible results, and action creates a chain reaction. Every decision you make and every action you take both small and large can alter your next set of opportunities. You will only know what those opportunities are once you take the first action step and begin the chain reaction.

What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.

- John Ruskin

Where do you begin?

When you want the absolute best chance to succeed at anything, your approach should always be the same. START! It is one thing to imagine it and it is another thing to do it. Oftentimes you are waiting for the “right time” to take action and for everything to line up perfectly, the issue is that the ideal time never seems to be now.Time keeps passing by and your idea keeps getting put off for another day. The key is to start and begin taking action to bring your ideas to life.The time is now.

Use Your Vision to See Clearly

Having a vision & using your vision are key to you taking action. When you can see, literally and metaphorically, what you’re trying to achieve you have a better chance of achieving it. Define clearly what it is that you want to create and then visualize what it would look like and how it would feel to have it come true. This will help you focus on what your short term and long term goals are with a clear intention of how you will achieve them.

Start Small to Go BIG

When you start small you can narrow your focus and do fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with less effect. The misconception is that we have to do big things to actualize our aspirational ideas and dreams, but small changes will create the most sustainable change and impact. Choose one idea to begin this process and keep going, it’s the small steps that ensure big changes come.

Pressure Matters

Humans are wired to avoid difficult things, you carefully avoid risk, rejection and uncertainty. But when you take on difficult tasks, you grow and expand. Pressure encourages you to do uncomfortable things, validates that you are capable of accomplishing them and ultimately creates change. Challenge yourself to get uncomfortable and feel some pressure, turn up the heat! Embracing discomfort is a sign that you are one step closer to your goal and you are experiencing expansion.

Three Critical Things

Action allows you to learn three critical things

1. What works
2. What doesn’t work
3. What can be improved.

Define your goals, identify the action that needs to be taken and begin. The habit of putting ideas into action is the key to success. Take more action and do less talking. You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. If you take daily actions, they will lead you to accomplishing your goals. Focus EVERY DAY on getting something done to move your ideas forward, you won't be able to stop your eventual success.

Your commitment to take action is the one factor that will ultimately determine the level of your success and separates you from everyone else.