Planning without Action Is Futile
Move your ass, now! Planning without action is futile. It’s important to know what you want and then to break it down to figure out how to get there.
These steps will help you remember to review your dream before taking massive action and get clear on all the benefits, so that you stay on course. You will also discover that when you take things one step at a time, you actually see it come to fruition while enjoying the journey!
One of the dreams on my list was to build a home for my mom and dad. They are two of the best people that exist on this planet, and they have given their hearts and their souls to the people that they have served for years in the Mission that I grew up in.
They are so friendly and filled with heart that we were always the last people out of the church, they were flown all over the planet to speak, and people would fight to be in their presence. They are beautiful. Because they were Missionaries, money was always tight — we got by every month because of our Mission’s, church’s, and friends’ support. During my missionary years, I wrote an average of 20 thank-you notes a month. But sometimes money was squeaky tight, and it was hard to save and prepare for the future. So my dream was to build them a house.
I got a contractor, and we started building. When you place things on your dream list, things happen because you know why you want them. I wanted my parents to have a happy retirement. I wanted them not to worry ever again about how they were going to put food on the table. I wanted them to be able to go out to eat if they wanted, to not have to order off the dollar menu, to go to nice restaurants. I wanted them to be footloose and fancy free.
And I wanted them to be able to decorate and pick out everything about the house. For years, we lived in housing that was provided by the Mission. My parents are gifted at interior design and can turn a cheap shack into a castle. So I wanted them to have their own mansion, their own estate, their own kingdom. And it was such a burning joy in my heart to imagine the moment that they would walk through the door of their house. There was nothing that would stop me from making that happen.
So I hired the contractor, and week by week we looked at what would come next — how much we’d need for each step. This meant I’d have to close more sales or do more volume or work late — whatever was needed, I did it to have the money for this dream.
Week by week, brick by brick by brick, I built this beautiful home for my parents. The day that they drove in and saw their home was one of the happiest days of my life. It’s a full two-bedroom house with a huge terrace, from which they can see the ocean and see the whales breach. Their expressions and their gratitude make my heart sing. They literally hug me and thank me almost every day for the life that they have now.
What a joy to be able to provide that for them and to experience and receive the gratitude that comes with it. It’s such a cool thing to know what you want and why you want it, and then to go after it. I have happy tears streaming down my face as I write this. I’m serious — do it, do it for yourself, and find somebody you love and help them out and do whatever you have to do to make it happen.
Step 1. Know what you want.
Ask yourself, “What do I want?” Write down anything that comes to mind and keep repeating the question until you have at least 10 things on your list. It’s important that you don’t filter your answers; just answer what lights you up.
Ask yourself, “Why do I want it?” Write a list under each “want.” I usually give a page in my notebook for each item that I desire and then under that write all the whys. The longer the list, the more important it is to you. If you can’t think of why you want it, then it’s possible that you don’t actually want it. I wanted to build my parents a home so that they would not have to worry about a mortgage, about how to keep a roof over their heads, and I wanted to give them their wish to have family and grandkids around them. “Why do you want it?”
Ask yourself, “How will I feel when I get it?” Write down anything that comes to mind! For me, I could imagine the moment when they would walk in and see it for the first time, I could imagine them going out shopping and “junking” to find all the treasures that make up their home. The joy I will feel when that happens! I could imagine eating meals together and laughing! The pure thrill of knowing the kids would grow up knowing their grandparents. How will you feel when it happens?
So before taking massive action, you review your dream and get clear to all the benefits and whys so that you stay on course.
Step 2. One chunk at a time.
Ask yourself, “What do I need to do first to get this done?” Write down anything that comes to mind. For me, first it was to find a contractor. I had already made plans for the whole property for my parents when I had purchased it years earlier. What is your first step to getting what you want accomplished?
Do it — whatever it is that you need to do. Schedule it and make it happen. Don’t delay. In fact, right now, take a few minutes to do that next step. Seriously, I’m not kidding — do it right now. Or at least do what you can right now. This will take as long as it takes, but It likely will take less time than you think.
Ask yourself, “What else can I do now”? This seems obvious, but a lot of times the obvious isn’t that obvious to us. We tend to make things harder than they are. When I look back on what I’ve built and what I’ve done, it was doing the next small thing, and then the next step, and then the next step, and then all of a sudden, I got home from work and I noticed there was a house in my yard. This literally happened to me many times over the years. I’d look up, and all of a sudden notice what’s gotten done. I didn’t notice because I was focused on the next brick to be laid, or the next item to be done. So I ask you, what else can you do, now, towards your dreams and goals?
Know that when you take things one step at a time you actually see it come to fruition and you will enjoy the journey more.
Step 3. Do it!
Take action, or the dream will stay only a thought.
Put one foot in front of the other. Once you know what needs to be done next, then do it. If you can’t do it now, then schedule it right now for a time that you can do it. When you schedule it, it’s as good as done. The key is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Take action. Without action, it stays merely an idea, a ghostly wish. So do whatever step you can do right now.
Commit to following through and finishing. Make a conscious choice to follow through on whatever it is that you want to see come to fruition. Many times people quit after a few roadblocks. Be different. Stick to the plans and the goals.
Play full-out. No half-assed efforts. You don’t want to just squeak over the finish line — you want to finish well. So play full-out. Play this game with all your heart! This is your life. If you won’t play it with all of your heart, who will?
Review your whys often! Review your list to make sure what you’re working on comes to fruition. There were plenty of times when my parents house was being built that I wanted to throw the towel in. It was difficult to navigate the Mexican language and culture at times. I would remind myself of why I was doing what I was doing, and that would get me back on course. The more you remember why, the less likely you will be tempted to quit or get discouraged. Remember, The bigger the why, the easier the how!
The outcome of this step is to see the dream through to completion!!!
By following these steps you will learn that planning without action is futile. It’s first important to know what you want, and then take things one step at a time. Action is key, or else the dream stays a thought or simply a wish. So remember the story of how I had a dream to build my parents a home, and how I made that happen. You will also learn the steps that I took, so that you can do it as well. They are:
1. Know what you want,
2. One chunk, on brick, one step at a time,
3. Do it!
This will help you know that before taking massive action, you need to review your dream and get clear on all the benefits and whys so that you stay on course. You will also discover that when you take things one step at a time, you actually see it come to fruition, while enjoying the journey! So, move your ass — now!
