I like to highlight a very inspiring - and deeply insightful - quotation from Tony Robbins:

"The difference between those who succeed and those who fail isn't what they have - it's what they choose to see and do with their resources and experiences of life."

There are four key words or phrases, namely:

(1) choose to see...;

(2) (choose to)... do;

(3) ... resources;

(4) ... experiences of life;

Knowledge is not measured by what you have read from a book or gotten from a casual conversation or even from attending a seminar or workshop. This is only potential, or what is precisely stored in your head.

Interestingly, nowadays, there are a lot of fascinating seminars and workshops out in the marketplace.

Some are even available online.

I have often come across intelligent folks attending these seminars or workshops, and they often get caught by the in-class euphoria with other attendees, especially when the class environment is designed to be touchy-feely, and when these emotionally charged-up folks return to their workplaces, it's always back to square one, after they are left much to their personal devices.

What happens then? They start off with another or upgraded versions of the same seminar or workshop, and thus the vicious cycle continues, finally ending as, sad to say, seminar junkies.

I often get emails from friends-I-have-not-met in cyberspace, seeking my professional advice after having read my Amazon reviews and/or my personal weblogs.

Once I have reviewed their "problems", it then dawn on me that there are in fact intelligent folks out there who actually don't know how to convert their knowledge into action.

Naturally, this spell good business opportunities for those seminar or workshop purveyors.

I hate to say this: It's your executive productivity - what you actually do and what you don't - in the real world out there, that ultimately determines whether your knowledge is power.

To use an apt analogy, knowledge is indicated horsepower of an automobile. True or brake horsepower comes about when your rubber tyres meet the road.

Business strategists like to use the term, "execution premium" to denote the outcome.

For plain folks like us, it's simply making a decision, setting out a plan, putting all ideas to work, keeping track, obtaining feedback and monitoring progress, in our life or where we work or in our business.

The key to it is basically developing concrete action, or better still, sustained traction.

Creativity or rather coming up with many ideas is one thing - in fact, it's easy, but no action, talk only (that's NATO for short), still puts us back into inertia.

All ideas must be followed by - or rather converted - into action, plain and simple, even though putting ideas to work is oftentimes a laborious and tough task.

In real-world terms, and against my background as an engineer, I often like to call the endgame as creating "concrete deliverables" from your pet ideas.

The harsh reality is this: only Action produces Results.

I recall entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell, who founded both Atari, Inc., and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza-Time Theaters chain, has summed up best my sentiment:

"Everyone who's ever taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes the difference."

Just my random musing on drawing lessons from this elegant quote of Dr Maxwell Maltz:

• Action creates traction, and with traction you get momentum, and that's when you start to move forward;
• Hence, as you keep taking action, you are overcoming inertia;
• Gaining traction and building momentum generate confidence;
• Consistent action is the best traction to achieve your goals;
• There are indeed risks and costs to action, but they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction;
• Action is the foundational key to all success, for it creates results and feedback, and that's how we improve;
• Present action creates future results;
• The moment you take responsibility to initiate action, you take your power back and create phenomenal opportunities for yourself;
• Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy (Dale Carnegie);
• Taking bold focused action creates explosive results;
• We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths (Walt Disney);
• If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward (Martin Luther King);
• Anyone can talk about being an entrepreneur or starting a business, but very few do. The difference is found in those that choose to take action;
• Progress matters, no matter how much, not perfection, for every bit of progress matters, look how far you've come!;
• When there's no action, there's no progress;
• First steps are always the hardest but until they are taken the notion of progress remains only a notion, and not an achievement (Aberjhani);

Enjoy!

Yep! Just as Tony Robbins put it so eloquently:

"What changes your life is not learning more. What changes your life is making decisions & using your personal power & taking action."

So did the late Bob Proctor:

"No amount of reading or memorizing will make you successful in life. It is the understanding and application of wise thought that counts." !

LEARNING FROM THE MASTERS: THE POWER OF DECISIONS & ACTIONS

"Once a decision is made, focus on supporting it, not second guessing it."

~ Dr Maxwell Maltz;

"Having a goal and understanding the situation are not enough. You must have the courage to act, for only by actions can goals, desires, and beliefs be translated into realities."

~ Dr Maxwell Maltz:

"Only you can decide to develop an unflinching will, to concentrate, to stay focused on your chosen objective until the task is completed."

~ Bob Proctor;

"Once you make the decision you will find all the people, resources, and ideas you need every time."

~ Bob Proctor;

"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there is no action, you haven't truly decided."

~ Tony Robbins;

"Stay committed to your decision, but stay flexible in your approach."

~ Tony Robbins;

"Successful people are decisive people. When opportunities come their way, they evaluate them carefully, make a decision and take appropriate action."

~ Napoleon Hill;

"Successful people don't ponder decision; they take action without fear of failure. Decisiveness is powerful. Just go, stop procrastinating and wishing for the right resources. You must be resourceful and take action quickly."

~ Napoleon Hill;

 PRAGMATIC INSIGHTS FROM THE EXPERTS:

"Inaction breeds doubt & fear. Action breeds confidence &
courage. If you want to conquer fear, don't sit at home & think about it. Go out & get busy!"

The foregoing pragmatic insight for the layman came from the legendary Dale Carnegie.

"All the thinking in the world is of no use unless it finds application, unless the ideas are transformed into action. To take action in a complex, fast-changing world, where it is all too easy to cling to the status quo and do nothing, you need the courage to take action - not make decisions."

The foregoing pragmatic insight for the professional came from Frank Feather, consultant & futurist.

Action is a powerful antidote to the stagnation of inertia.

The name of the game today is action. Doing something. Overcoming your inertia & moving your butt will give you a whole new lease on being alive.

Taking action gives you momentum. Initiating the effort attracts many opportunities.

If you decide to do something about your problem or challenge, rather than whine about it, you'll be on the road to changing things around for yourself.

When you take action, you are also pulling your own strings. You take control of your life circumstances.

Thinking too long & worst of all, not doing anything about it, keep you a prisoner of the past.

Action puts you in control of the future.

It also reminds me of the story about the three types of person in the world:

- those who make things happen;

- those who watch things happen;

- those who wonder what happened;

We all have a choice in life. Do it. Just do it. Do it NOW!

A SLICE OF SMART ADVISORY FROM INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED STRATEGY CONSULTANT GARY HAMEL!

THINK ABOUT IT, FOR LIFE IS A DARING ADVENTURE!

BEING A MAVERICK IS THE FIRST STEP AS YOU BREAK OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

UNDERSTANDING THE ART & DISCIPLINE OF ACTION PROPENSITY

My voracious reading pursuits over the years have often fueled me with a rich variety of inspiring quotes, especially those pertaining to the subject of "developing action-mindedness".

Here are a selected few I like to share with readers:

"The critical ingredient is getting off your rear end and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But TODAY!"

~ Nolan Brushnell, American engineer and entrepreneur, who founded both Atari Inc., and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza-Time Theaters chain:

"We have to understand that the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye... The hand is the cutting edge of the mind."

~ Jacob Bronowski (1908-1974), Polish-born British mathematician and man of letters who eloquently presented the case for the humanistic aspects of science; was also the presenter of the BBC documentary series, 'The Ascent of Mind', which inspired Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' series.)

"It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result."

~ Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), preeminent Indian leader;

Here's an interesting excerpt from an earlier blogpost I have written in my 'Optimum Performance Technologies' weblog, entitled 'TALK DOESN'T COOK RICE', drawing inspiration from a very interesting article, 'Move from Intent to Action', by Leo Babauta in the 'Third Age' weblog.

My quick takeaways:

1. Don’t overthink, just do;

2. Forget perfection. Get going;

3. Don’t mistake motion for action. Slow down. Focus;

4. Focus on the important. When you’re done with that, repeat the process;

5. Move slowly, consciously. Be deliberate;

6. Take small steps. And each step is a victory, that will compel you to further victories;

7. Negative thinking gets you nowhere. Positive thinking really works;

8. Meetings aren’t action;

9. Talking (usually) isn’t action. Communication is necessary, but don’t mistake it for actual action;

10. Planning isn’t action. Get to work!

12. Sometimes, inaction is better... if you find yourself spinning your wheels, or you find you’re doing more harm than good...

Now, I can get to work on DEVELOPING THE S.M.A.R.T. GAMEPLAN

As I have mentioned before, getting an idea or ideas is actually a piece of cake. All of us can do it pretty well.

On the other hand, putting them to work or converting them into reality - my good friend, Dilip Mukerjea, likes to use the term: moving ideas to ca$h - takes a lot of hardwork.

It requires deliberate and diligent efforts on our part, in addition to decision making as well as action planning.

Not only planning and scheduling the pertinent tasks to put the ideas into action, but also planning for possible consequences, as actions have dire consequences.

Maybe, that's why very few people like to engage in it.

I reckon another way to look at the whole endeavour is understanding that ideas alone don't create success.

Breakthrough or good ideas in the head may give you the euphoria for a short while. That's about it.

I certainly recall my hectic days in the corporate world.

My former bosses in the corporate world (from 1967 to 1991) - Swiss, German, Chinese, Swedish, Indonesian - were not at all interested in - of course, they probably listened to (or maybe, they just pretended to listen to) - my fancy "theories to work", whenever I did my presentations to them or to the board.

All they were actually interested - or should I say obsessed with - were the performance results... the bottom line, to be more precise.

Ultimately, actions spoke louder than words.

I also recall a very simple but valuable quote during my years as a general manager - actually, more of a lesson - that goes back to the 80's from Sim Kee Boon (1929-2007), at one time Head of the Singapore Civil Service (1979-1984) and best known for his pivotal role in building the Changi International Airport - making it the best in the world - and also turning around the loss-making Keppel Shipyard:

"The secret to success... is getting things done!"

So, how does one get things done?

How to develop action-mindedness, so to speak?

I like to share some ideas from my own experiences.

I reckon the first thing is to deal with fear, be it real or imagined, as it has substantial bearing on our willpower to execute.

The fear of the lack of ability. The fear of making mistakes or failure. The fear of looking stupid or ridiculous in front of our peers when our ideas don't work. The fear of snide remarks behind our back. The fear of the unknown, because actions require a change in our status quo.

Worst still, we want to wait for the perfect conditions. We want more information for decision making.

The harsh reality is that, in today's turbulent world, where changes are often exponential, how can we wait for perfect conditions or more information? We just got to trust our own gut instincts.

We have to "grok", to paraphrase a science fiction author, whose name I have long forgotten.

Moving out of our comfort zone is always uncomfortable. I had gone through that journey myself.

As a result, for many of us, we prefer to stay put.

The resultant problem with this choice is that often a host of other problems start to ensue, like procrastination, inertia, anxiety, worry, etc., which aggravate the situation.

Interestingly, most peak performance experts - so do I - believe that action actually conquers fear.

All it takes is essentially the first step. Baby step, as they say. Once we take that first step, all fears dissipate. This fact drives home the point:

Fear = False evidence appearing real!

In fact, I like the way Michael Jordan, probably the greatest basketball player of all time, puts it:

"Any fear is an illusion. You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there."

I reckon another good way to deal with fear is to consider the pleasure/pain equation, as postulated by celebrity peak performance coach, Anthony Robbins.

What gives you pleasure? What excites you? What gives you pain? What bugs you?

Focus on the pleasure or excitement side. It will automatically takes good care of the pain or bug side.

So, to go with NIKE's most enduring marketing message over the years:

JUST DO IT!

I would suggest, as a first step, sit down and write out a simple plan of action, with a number of important objectives you wish to achieve.

[Naturally, I am assuming that you have already narrowed down to one viable idea, or "the mother of all ideas", so to speak, after having considered various major issues like market attractiveness, competition intensity, and strategic fit.]

I often use the acronym, S.M.A.R.T, to think about my gameplan:

S = specific objectives with the attendant tasks to achieve each objective: list out all the objectives, according to the various dimensions of your life [e.g. physical health; work/career; financial; mental/educational; family relationships; social/networking; artefacts and possessions; vacations; hobbies; spiritual pursuits;], then, all the attendant tasks you need to execute in order to attain each and every objective, with priority, from beginning to end;

M = metrics: define how you would like to measure the tasks to be executed, so that you know immediately when you have completed them; in a way, it's your feedback mechanism;

A = accountability: sometimes, your tasks may involve the participation of other people, e.g. your spouse, your boss, your colleagues, your subordinates, your suppliers or facilitators, etc.; so, you also need to apportion or allocate accordingly for better control and effective monitoring;

R = resources: you need to identify all the contributing stuff, like manpower, money, materials, machines, methods, management aids, etc., you would need to get all the assigned as well as shared tasks done;

T = time for completion of each specific task: by next week; next 30 days; next 90 days; short-term, medium-term, long-term;

Once you have the final gameplan in place, all you have to do is just to follow-up and follow-through.

In a nut shell, I would like to add that action-mindedness boils down to revving up our ingenuity engine. Luckily, each and every one of us is born with one.

To understand the engine metaphor further, it's our delivered horse-power - i.e. power delivered to the wheels, where rubber meets the tarmac - that measures how powerful we are.

Here's a fascinating advisory, at least from my personal viewpoint, taken out of a corporate advertisement of the credit card giant VISA in the Singapore 'Straits Times' newspaper many years ago.

"Go.

It's one tiny, two-letter word that makes amazing things happen.

Go is action.

It's the spark that starts the flame that sets everything in motion.

Go gets us to try things we've always wanted to try.

Go keeps us going no matter what life throws our way.

Go reminds us it's a big, beautiful world out there, and it's time to make the most of it . . . to get out there and play.

To get out there and do.

To get out there and experience all the incredible things life has to offer."

The advisory certainly reminds me of the importance of a bias for action or action-propensity.

To sum up, ACTION IS EVERYTHING!