Action Really is the Solution

     I don't know a single behavior that we shoot ourselves in the foot with more often than procrastination. Unfortunately, some of my loved ones have passed away with a list of things they never did, words they never said, dreams that laid dormant and dusty in a neglected corner of their minds. It breaks my heart to imagine what they must have felt when those thoughts floated back into the forefront of their psyches, knowing that their chance was over. 

     I've had a similar feeling. When I was a teenager I was involved in a vehicle rollover that tore one of my arms open and caused serious bleeding. I still remember laying in the hospital bed contemplating my life and everything I still wanted to do. I remember laying in a pool of my own blood and having the unprompted understanding that, at my own discretion, I could choose to fall asleep and not wake up. It wasn't so much a fear as a silent and binding decision that I had to make for myself. I chose to stay awake - at least until the surgeon got there and saved my arm and my life while I was under general anesthesia.

     That memory, that knowledge, is what propels me forward to this day. I'm not going to try to claim I've not once procrastinated since the car accident, but rooting procrastination out of my existence became a visceral desire of mine, subconsciously at first - then consciously as I was moving into my thirties. There is not one time I can think of when I chose action over procrastination and regretted it. I do still contemplate things at length from time to time, but more often than not life is much simpler than we like to think it is, and contemplation is often just procrastination in disguise. 

     There's a quote that I hold dear that is attributed to the greatest Roman emperor to ever live, Marcus Aurelius: "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." There is another quote from the military: "A bad plan executed violently is better than the perfect plan executed too late." Both of these quotes are telling us the same thing: start moving. No more overthinking, no more hesitation, no more room for doubts - just start moving toward your goal. You'll find both obvious and nonobvious obstacles on the way and you'll find your way through, over, and around them. To take action is to trust in yourself, and to procrastinate is often to distrust your abilities. Action really is the solution.

     If you'd like a reminder to keep taking action to get closer to your goals, check out our Classic Lineup.